Sonnet Echo Express SE IIIE – Thunderbolt 3 Edition

Sonnet Echo Express SE IIIE – Thunderbolt 3 Edition

3-Slot PCIe To Thunderbolt 3 Expansion Chassis

• Compact Desktop Thunderbolt™ 3 to PCIe Card Expansion System.
• Three PCIe 3.0 Slots.
• Temperature-controlled Fan.
• Works with every Thunderbolt 3 compatible PCIe card up to 7.75 inches in length.
• Thunderbolt 3 Cable & ThunderLok 3 Included.

£ 793.95 | £ 952.74 inc VAT

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SKU: SON-ECHOEXPSE3-E-TB3
Category: All PCIe Expansion Chassis
Brand: Sonnet Technology

Connect Three PCIe Cards to any Computer with Thunderbolt 3 Ports

Sonnet’s Echo™ Express SE III is a compact desktop Thunderbolt™ 3 to PCIe Card Expansion System that enables you to connect three professional PCIe cards—including video capture, audio interface, SAS or SATA HBA, 16Gb or 8Gb Fibre Channel, 10 Gigabit Ethernet, and RAID controllers—at the same time to any computer with Thunderbolt 3 ports.

The Echo Express SE III features a 40Gbps Thunderbolt 3 interface, which offers double the PCIe bandwidth and connectivity of Thunderbolt 2, and yields up to 2750 MB/s of bandwidth, enabling it to support 4K video capture and processing cards at high frame rates, and 16Gb FC cards and dual-port 10GbE cards at full performance(1)(2). With the ability to handle multiple demanding, high performance PCIe cards, support for connecting two 4K displays @ 60Hz or one 5K display @ 60Hz(3), and support for a vast array of Thunderbolt(4) and USB(5) devices, Thunderbolt 3 is a leap forward in every way.


Three PCIe Slots

The Echo Express SE III’s PCIe 3.0 x8 slots support three half-length+, full-height, single-width PCIe cards, or one single-width card plus one double-width card.


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


Thunderbolt 3 — The USB C That Does It All

The Echo Express SE III includes two Thunderbolt 3 ports; the first connects it to your computer, while the second supports daisy chaining of up to five additional Thunderbolt peripheral devices to a single port on your computer. The SE III includes 10Gbps USB 3.1 Gen 2 support, meaning you can connect a USB device to the second port using the proper cable or adapter. The SE III also provides full support for connecting two 4K displays @ 60Hz or one 5K display @ 60Hz(4). For connected peripherals requiring extra power, 15 watts is provided to connected bus-powered devices.


Design Smarts

The inside of the Echo Express SE III is wrapped in a rugged, yet lightweight aluminum outer shell, resulting in a lightweight system small enough to carry in your backpack, yet durable enough to protect the installed PCIe cards securely. The enclosure is ventilated front and back to facilitate airflow over the cards, pushed by a large, quiet, temperature-controlled fan to efficiently cool the system, automatically speeding up and slowing down smoothly as needed—there’s no guesswork in deciding which fan speed to select. Because Sonnet Echo Express products automatically power on and off with your computer, there is no power switch on the chassis, ensuring you don’t waste energy by forgetting to turn it off.


Nearly Every Thunderbolt 3 Compatible PCIe Card Supported

Smaller than the 3-slot Echo Express III-D - Thunderbolt 3 Edition, the Echo Express SE III is still large enough to support nearly every Thunderbolt 3 compatible card available. With its three x8 slots, the SE III supports PCIe 3.0, PCIe 2.0, and PCIe 1.1 cards up to 7.75 inches long.


Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps) Cable and ThunderLok 3 Included

To connect the Echo Express SE III to your computer, Sonnet includes a 0.5-meter Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps) cable, and a Sonnet ThunderLok 3 Thunderbolt connector retainer clip(6) to secure the cable to the Echo chassis. Accidental cable disconnection can lead to data loss. Sonnet’s ThunderLok 3 is easy to install and use—just slide it over one end of the cable, and then plug in the connector and secure it to the chassis by turning a thumbscrew. Because of its unique design, ThunderLok remains on the cable so it won’t get lost when not in use.

Key Features

• Connects Three PCIe Cards to any Computer with Thunderbolt 3 Ports—Use multiple high-performance PCIe cards at the same time.

• Three PCIe 3.0 Slots—Supports three full-height, half-length+ (up to 7.75 inches long), single-width cards, or one double-width card plus one single-width card.

• 40Gbps Thunderbolt 3 Interface—Offers 2750 MB/s of PCIe bandwidth, doubling the performance of Thunderbolt 2.

• Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports—One port reserved for connection to the computer; second port supports daisy-chaining of up to five additional Thunderbolt(4) devices to your computer, attaching a single USB(5) peripheral device, or connecting up to two 4K displays or one 5K display(3).

• Temperature-controlled Fan—Automatically operates slower and quieter with cooler cards; provides better cooling for hotter cards.

• Energy Saver Mode—Powers on/off automatically with the computer.

• Rugged Aluminum Housing—Provides robust and secure protection.

• Power for Peripherals—Provides up to 15W of power to connected peripherals.

• Nearly Every Thunderbolt 3 Compatible Card Supported—Works with every Thunderbolt 3 compatible PCIe card up to 7.75 inches in length.

• Thunderbolt 3 Cable & ThunderLok 3 Included—Includes 0.5-meter Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps) cable and ThunderLok 3 Thunderbolt connector retainer clip to secure cable from accidental disconnections.

Technical Specifications
Form Factor Desktop expansion system
External Connectors • Two Thunderbolt 3 ports
• 12V power port
Expansion Slot One x8 mechanical (x4 electrical) PCIe 3.0
Two x8 mechanical (x8 electrical) PCIe 3.0
PCIe Cards Supported Three half-length (up to 7.75 inches long), single-width, full-height x8 PCIe cards
Fan Noctua NF-R8 redux-1800(7) at 17.1dB(A)
Power Adapter Universal 120W, 100-240V, 50-60 Hz
Operating Temperature 0˚C to 35˚C (32˚F to 95˚F)
Dimensions (WxDxH) 6.5 x 11 x 4.6 in. (16.5 x 27.9 x 11.7 cm)
Weight 2.6 lbs. (1.18 kg)
RoHS Compliant Yes
Package Contents Echo Express SE III Thunderbolt 3 to PCIe Card Expansion System.
Universal power adapter.
Power cord.
0.5-meter Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps) cable.
ThunderLok 3 Thunderbolt Connector Retainer Clip(6).
Documentation
Mac Compatibility Mac with Thunderbolt 3 ports.
Mac with Thunderbolt 2 or Thunderbolt ports and Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter.
macOS® 10.12.6+.
macOS Mojave compatible.
PC Compatibility Please Call.
PCIe Card Compatibility For up-to-date PCIe card compatibility see Sonnet's PCIe Card Thunderbolt Compatibility Chart.
1) While the Echo Express SE III features a 40 Gbps Thunderbolt 3 interface, some computers equipped with Thunderbolt 3 use an implementation of Thunderbolt 3 technology that limits PCIe performance to 20 Gbps. The MacBook Pro (13-inch, Late 2016, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports) has this limitation in the two right-hand Thunderbolt 3 ports, while offering full performance from the left-hand ports.

2) Full performance requires the use of the included Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps) cable, or comparable Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps) cables; look for the Thunderbolt icon AND the number 3 on the connector housings to identify these cables.

3) One 4K monitor directly supported. Two 4K monitors requires either a 4K monitor with multi-stream transport support (DP out), or a Thunderbolt 3 to Dual DisplayPort adapter. 5K monitor requires a Thunderbolt 3 to Dual DisplayPort adapter. All Thunderbolt 3 Macs support two 4K monitors. Most Thunderbolt PCs support two 4K monitors.

4) Second Thunderbolt 3 port supports Thunderbolt and Thunderbolt 2 peripheral devices on Macs used with the Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter, sold separately.

5) Second Thunderbolt 3 port supports USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5Gb) or Gen 2 (10Gb) devices when connected with proper cable or adapter (sold separately).

7) ThunderLok 3 compatible specifically with Sonnet 0.5-meter Thunderbolt 3 cables; Sonnet 1-meter Thunderbolt 3 cables require ThunderLok 3L.

8) Noctua fan used in Echo Express SE III units shipped from Sonnet or after August 2018.

Product Downloads


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