Sonnet Technologies Echo II DV Desktop Two-Slot Full-Length Thunderbolt 5 PCIe Card Expansion System

Do you use one of the hot new laptops or mini desktops with ultra-high-performance Thunderbolt 5 ports in your creative pro workflow? Without PCIe expansion slots, those computers’ onboard processing power alone is probably not enough to get your job done. You still need the specialty cards that add needed video and audio I/O, transcode data, and connect to high-speed networks and shared storage. The Sonnet Echo II DV T5 Desktop eliminates the limitation. This professional Thunderbolt 5 to PCIe card expansion system connects two full-length, single-width PCIe cards to your computer, each to a separate Thunderbolt port for maximum bandwidth to each card — it’s the ultimate solution for connecting cards with high bandwidth requirements.

TWO PCIE 4.0 SLOTS WITH DUAL THUNDERBOLT 5 INTERFACES FOR DOUBLE THE BANDWIDTH

Some of the latest computers — including MacBook Pro (M4 Pro/M4 Max) , Mac mini (M4 Pro), Mac Studio (M3 Ultra/M4 Max), and select Windows PCs — offer multiple Thunderbolt 5 ports, each with its own independent bus delivering 6000 MB/s of PCIe bandwidth. Echo II DV T5 Desktop is designed to fully exploit that speed. Instead of sharing bandwidth across slots, it uses a dedicated Thunderbolt 5 interface for each slot, delivering full PCIe bandwidth to both cards at the same time. This means you can run two high-demand PCIe cards at full performance simultaneously — perfect for DV I/O, ultra-fast NVMe storage, and multi-port 10 and 25Gb Ethernet workflows. Echo II DV T5 provides full Thunderbolt PCIe bandwidth to each slot when connected to two computer Thunderbolt ports that also provide independent PCIe bandwidth — 6000 MB/s with Thunderbolt 5 computers, and 2880 MB/s with Thunderbolt 4 and 3 computers.

DUAL THUNDERBOLT 5 PORTS CONNECTION OPTION FOR MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE

Connect two DV I/O or other high-bandwidth cards directly to two Thunderbolt 5 ports on your computer for full 6000 MB/s PCIe bandwidth to each card. Also works with computers with only one available Thunderbolt port to support two cards. Daisy chain the Thunderbolt interfaces to connect two PCIe cards via one cable. Because each PCIe card slot’s Thunderbolt 5 interface includes two Thunderbolt ports, you can connect the interfaces to each other to enable Echo II DV T5 Desktop to plug in to your computer with a single Thunderbolt cable.

TWO PCIE 4.0 SLOTS AND POWER TO SPARE

Echo II DV T5 Desktop features two x16 PCIe slots with support for a wide variety of cards. For power-hungry cards, Echo II DV T5 integrates a universal 400W power supply and includes dual 75W auxiliary power connectors (one for each card slot) for cards that require extra power, including AJA Kona 5, Blackmagic DeckLink 8K Pro G2 (with main board [SDI ports] only), and Avid Pro Tools | HDX. Designed without a power switch, Echo II DV T5 powers on and off automatically with the connected computer, saving energy in the long run. With no power switch, you can’t forget to turn off the system!

FLEXIBLE PCIE CARD SUPPORT – SUPPORTS THUNDERBOLT COMPATIBLE, SINGLE-WIDTH, NON-GPU CARDS

Echo II DV T5 Desktop supports Thunderbolt compatible, single-width, non-GPU PCIe 4.0, 3.1, 2.0, and 1.1 cards including video capture, streaming and transcoding; SSD storage; audio DSP; multi-port 10Gb and 25Gb Ethernet; SAS or SATA host bus adapter; and other specialty types. Not sure if a card you own or are considering is compatible? We’ve put together a compatibility list that identifies many cards conforming to Thunderbolt technology requirements and organized by fit and power compatibility with specific expansion systems.

DUAL NOCTUA FANS – ULTRA-QUIET OPERATION RATED AT 17 DBA

Echo II DV T5 Desktop can be comfortably used in noise-sensitive environments. Delivering ultra-quiet operation, its dual Noctua fans operate at below the recommended 20 dBA limit for recording and broadcast studios and spread their noise across a range of frequencies, reducing the impact at any one frequency. To further guarantee trivial noise levels, the fans are temperature-controlled, automatically speeding up and slowing down smoothly as necessary, and the enclosure supports optimized airflow over the installed cards to effectively and efficiently cool the system. Echo II DV T5 Desktop system’s lightweight, rugged aluminum outer shell securely houses the installed PCIe cards. Because it automatically powers on and off with your computer, there is no power switch on the enclosure, ensuring you don’t waste energy by forgetting to turn it off.

THUNDERBOLT 5 CABLES AND THUNDERLOKS INCLUDED

Sonnet includes two Thunderbolt cables engineered to deliver Thunderbolt 5’s full bandwidth and power delivery performance. The cables are fully compatible with Thunderbolt 5, 4, and 3, and USB4 computers. Three Sonnet ThunderLok Thunderbolt connector locks are also included to prevent accidental cable disconnections. Many Sonnet Thunderbolt products featuring Thunderbolt ports come equipped with threaded mounting holes to securely attach a Sonnet ThunderLok connector lock, preventing Thunderbolt cables from accidentally disconnecting.

SONNET TECHNOLOGIES ECHO II DV DESKTOP FEATURES:

• Connects two high-performance non-GPU PCIe cards via one or two Thunderbolt cables to your computer without expansion slots
• Supports full Thunderbolt 5 PCIe bandwidth (6000 MB/s) to each installed card
• One interface per PCIe 4.0 slot enables maximum performance from two cards at the same time
• Two ports connect to the computer for maximum performance; secondary ports support daisy-chaining of Thunderbolt interfaces to enable single-cable connection to the computer
• Every Thunderbolt compatible, single-width, non-GPU card supported regardless of length or height
• Each Echo II DV T5 PCIe slot operates independently of the other, enabling you to connect them to separate computers
• Two 75W auxiliary PCIe power connectors for power-hungry cards; secondary Thunderbolt ports provide 15W of power each to connected peripherals
• Dual temperature-controlled, variable-speed Noctua fans rated at 17dBA automatically and quietly cool the cards
• Rugged aluminum housing provides robust and secure protection
• Compatible with macOS 14+ Mac with Thunderbolt 5, Thunderbolt 4, Thunderbolt/USB4, or Thunderbolt 3(1) ports; Windows 11 computer with Thunderbolt 5, Thunderbolt 4, or USB4(2) ports; and Linux 6.1 or 6.12 computer with Thunderbolt 5, Thunderbolt 4, or USB4 ports