Sonnet Echo SE III Thunderbolt 5 Three-Slot PCIe Card Expansion System

Initial Production Notice: The first Echo SE III T5 units will ship with "Echo Express SE IIIe" printed on the front plate. This is a cosmetic labeling difference only. The product's Thunderbolt 5 functionality, specifications, performance, and warranty are unaffected.

Echo SE III T5. Compact, desktop 3-slot Thunderbolt 5 to PCIe Card Expansion System for computers with Thunderbolt 5, Thunderbolt 4, Thunderbolt 3, or USB4 ports.

Connect Three Full-height, Half-length+ PCIe Cards
Laptop and mini desktop computers with ultra-high performance Thunderbolt 5 ports deliver outstanding onboard processing power, but lack the PCIe slots needed to support adapter cards that add specialized connectivity and processing capabilities. Sonnet's Echo SE III T5 provides the expansion your professional workflow demands. Using the included Thunderbolt 5 cable, this pro Thunderbolt 5 expansion system connects three half-length+ (up to 7.75 inches long) PCIe cards simultaneously to your Thunderbolt 5, Thunderbolt 4, Thunderbolt 3, or USB4 Mac, Windows PC, or Linux computer. Install nearly any compatible (non-GPU) PCIe card to create the professional setup your workflow demands.

Three PCIe 3.1 Slots: 3400 MB/s Aggregate, Bi-directional PCIe Bandwidth
Echo SE III T5 features three PCIe 3.1 x8 slots that support three half-length+, full-height, single-width PCIe cards, or one single-width card plus one double-width card. When connected to a Thunderbolt 5 computer, the system provides up to 3400 MB/s aggregate, bi-directional PCIe bandwidth. It supports single- and double-width PCIe 4.0, 3.1, 2.0, and 1.1 cards, including video capture, streaming, and transcoding; audio DSP; 10Gb and 25Gb Ethernet; SSD storage; SAS host bus adapters; and other specialty cards.

Double-width?
Some specialty cards, such as RME's HDSPe MADI FX, Blackmagic Design's DeckLink 4K Extreme, and the Lynx AES16e 50, include a daughter card that mates with and provides additional external connections to the main card. The Echo SE III T5 provides the space to accommodate such cards.

Power to Spare
Echo SE III T5 includes an auxiliary PCIe power connector, enabling you to install a card requiring extra power, such as the AJA Kona 5 or Blackmagic DeckLink 4K Extreme 12G. A 6-pin PCIe auxiliary power cable is included.

Thunderbolt 5 Interface with Two Thunderbolt 5 Ports
One Thunderbolt 5 port connects to the computer, while the second lets you connect an additional Thunderbolt or USB device. The second port provides 15 watts to bus-powered USB or Thunderbolt devices requiring extra power, and you can connect one 5K display using spare bandwidth while retaining full PCIe bandwidth.

Ultra-quiet Operation
Featuring a Noctua fan rated at 17 dBA, below the 20 dBA ceiling prescribed for use in recording and broadcast studios, the Echo SE III T5 is designed for noise-sensitive environments. The fan is temperature-controlled, automatically speeding up and slowing down smoothly as needed, and the enclosure is engineered to optimise airflow over the installed cards.

Secure Connections for High Performance
Sonnet includes a 0.8-meter Thunderbolt 5 cable that supports Thunderbolt's maximum bandwidth and is fully compatible with Thunderbolt 5, 4, and 3 computers. Sonnet also provides a ThunderLok-A connector lock that prevents accidental cable disconnections.

Key Features

• For computers with Thunderbolt 5, Thunderbolt 4, Thunderbolt 3, or USB4 ports
• Thunderbolt 5 interface: up to 3400 MB/s aggregate, bi-directional PCIe bandwidth to the installed cards when connected to a Thunderbolt 5 computer port
• Three PCIe 3.1 x8 slots: three full-height, half-length+ (up to 7.75 inches long), single-width cards, or one double-width card plus one single-width card
• Two Thunderbolt 5 ports; the second port provides 15W to an additional Thunderbolt or USB device
• Quiet, temperature-controlled Noctua fan rated at 17 dBA
• Auxiliary PCIe power connector (6-pin PCIe auxiliary power cable included)
• Compact, rugged aluminium enclosure with automatic power on/off (no power switch)
• Includes 0.8-meter Thunderbolt 5 cable and ThunderLok-A connector lock
• Mac, Windows, and Linux compatible
• 2-year product warranty and free lifetime technical support

Package Contents

• Echo SE III T5 Thunderbolt 5 expansion system
• Universal power adapter
• Region-specific power cable
• 6-pin PCIe auxiliary power cable
• 0.8-meter Thunderbolt 5 cable
• ThunderLok-A connector lock (for securing the Thunderbolt cable)
• Product documentation

Product Q&A