Sonnet Echo III Desktop Thunderbolt Expansion System

• For Computers with Thunderbolt 4 or Thunderbolt 3 Ports
• Three PCIe 3.0 Slots – One x16 plus Two x8 Slots
• Supports Three Full-height, Single-width Cards, or One Double-width Card plus One Single-width Card
  
• Avid® Pro Tools | HDX Compatible
• Broad PCIe Card Compatibility Support
• Pro Power – Integrated 400W Power Supply with 75W Auxiliary Power
• Remarkably Quiet – Noctua Fans Rated at 17dBA
• 40Gbps Thunderbolt System
• Thunderbolt 3 Technology for Maximum Performance – Offers Four Lanes of Full PCIe Bandwidth for the Installed Cards
• Two Thunderbolt Ports – One Port to Host Computer, Second Port for Thunderbolt Peripherals Daisy Chain

Sonnet Echo III Desktop Thunderbolt Expansion System

3-slot Desktop Thunderbolt to PCIe Card Expansion System for Computers with Thunderbolt Ports

Connect Three Full-length Audio and Video Specialty PCIe Cards to Computers with Thunderbolt 4 or Thunderbolt 3 Ports

For creative pros using the latest portable, mini desktop and all-in-one computers in their workflows, onboard processing power alone is not enough to get the job done. While these Mac®, Windows®, and Linux® computers include high-performance Thunderbolt™ 4 or Thunderbolt 3 ports to support peripherals, what they lack is PCIe expansion slots to install specialty cards that add needed video and audio inputs, transcode data, and connect to high-speed shared storage and networks. Sonnet has a solution — the Echo™ III Desktop — a professional Thunderbolt to PCIe card expansion system that enables you to connect three (up to) full-length (12.28 inches long) PCIe cards at the same time, via a single cable.

Echo III Desktop

Echo III Desktop supports every Thunderbolt compatible, non-GPU PCIe 4.0, 3.0, 2.0, and 1.1 card available including video capture and transcoding; audio DSP; 6Gb or 12Gb SAS or SATA host bus adapter; 10Gb or 25Gb Ethernet; SSD storage; and other specialty types to your system.

SPECS

• Rugged Aluminum Housing
• Energy Savings – Powers On/Off Automatically with the Computer
• Mac, Windows, and Linux Compatible
• Avid Qualified
• Free Lifetime Customer Technical Support
• Designed and Made in the USA

Mac Compatibility

• Mac (M series) with PCIe cards that have compatible drivers
• Mac (Intel®) with Thunderbolt 3 ports
• Mac (Intel) with a Thunderbolt 2 or Thunderbolt 1 port with an Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt Adapter plus a compatible Thunderbolt cable (both sold separately)
• macOS® 10.12+
• macOS Sequoia compatible

Windows Compatibility

• Windows computer with Thunderbolt 5, 4, or 3(1) ports
• Windows 11 and 10

Linux Compatibility

• Linux computer with Thunderbolt 5, 4, or 3 ports
• Linux Kernel 5.4+

Warranty

• 2-year

Form Factor

• Thunderbolt desktop enclosure

External Connectors

• Two Thunderbolt ports(2)
• Power (C14-type)

Internal Connector

• 6-pin Mini-Fit Jr (same type as on legacy Mac Pro motherboard; provides up to 75W of power for PCIe cards that require supplemental power)

Expansion Slots (Facing Rear, Left to Right)(3)

• One x8 mechanical (x8 electrical) PCIe 3.1
• One x16 mechanical (x8 electrical) PCIe 3.1
• One x8 mechanical (x4 electrical) PCIe 3.1

PCIe Cards Supported

• Three full-length, full-height, single-width PCIe cards or
• One full-length, full-height, double-width PCIe card, plus one single-width card

Power Supply

• Universal 400W, 115-230V AC, 50-60 Hz(4)

Operating Temperature

• 0ºC to 35ºC (32ºF to 95ºF)

Dimensions (WxDxH)

• 3.5 x 16.7 x 9 in. (8.9 x 42.4 x 22.9 cm)

Weight

• 9.7 lbs (4.40 kg)

Compliance

• RoHS 3 (Directive 2015/863)
• IEC62368-1 and IEC62368-2 Safety

Package Contents

• Echo III Desktop Thunderbolt Expansion System
• Region-specific power cable for US, Australia, Europe, Japan, Switzerland, or UK
• 6-pin PCIe auxiliary power cable
• 0.7- meter Thunderbolt cable(5)
• ThunderLok (Thunderbolt connector retainer clip)(6)
• Documentation

Technical Notes

1. While Echo III Desktop features a 40Gbps Thunderbolt interface, some Windows computers equipped with Thunderbolt 3 use an x2 PCIe lane implementation of Thunderbolt 3 technology that limits PCIe performance to 20Gbps.
2. Second Thunderbolt port supports USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gb) or Gen 2 (10Gb) devices when connected with proper cable or adapter (sold separately).
3. When set to HDX compatibility mode, PCIe slots operate in PCIe 2.0 mode and the chassis’ bandwidth is limited to 1750 MB/s.
4. Power supply will operate as low as 90VAC, with linear power derating from 400W @ 115VAC to 320W @ 90VAC.
5. Full performance requires the use of the included Thunderbolt cable or any Thunderbolt 5, 4, or 3 cable; not Thunderbolt 20Gbps cables. Look for the Thunderbolt icon and the number 5, 4, or 3 on the connector housings to identify 40Gbps or better Thunderbolt cables.
6. ThunderLok compatible specifically with Sonnet 0.5- and 0.7-meter Thunderbolt cables.