Thunderbolt Devices

Sonnet Echo Express SE IIIe | 3-slot Thunderbolt 3 Expansion Chassis for PCIe cards

Sonnet

Echo Express SE IIIe

3-slot Thunderbolt 3 Expansion Chassis for PCIe cards

Product Code: SONECEXPSE3ETB3

Suggested Retail Price £769+VAT

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Stock status: In Stock; available from resellers

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Warranty

All new Sonnet products purchased on or after January 1, 2019, have a two-year limited warranty, except as listed here. All new Sonnet products purchased on or before December 31, 2018, have a one-year limited warranty, except as listed here.


  • Connect PCIe Cards - Use multiple high-performance PCIe cards with any computer with a Thunderbolt 3 port.
  • Three PCIe 3.0 x8 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 capabilities of Thunderbolt 2.
  • Pro Performance. Compact Design. - Takes up little space on the desktop, but large enough to support nearly every Thunderbolt-compatible non-GPU PCIe card at full performance.
  • Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports - One port connects to computer; second port supports daisy-chaining of up to five additional Thunderbolt peripheral devices.
  • Remarkably Quiet - Temperature-controlled,variable-speed fan automatically and quietly cools the cards.
  • Energy Saver Mode - Powers on/off automatically with the computer.
  • Rugged Aluminum Housing - Provides robust and secure protection.
  • Pro Power - Auxiliary PCIe power connector for a power-hungry card; daisy chain port provides up to 15W of power to connected peripherals.

Mac Compatibility

  • Mac with Thunderbolt 3 ports
  • Mac with a Thunderbolt 2 or Thunderbolt port with an Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter plus a Thunderbolt 2 cable (both sold separately)
  • macOS® 10.12.6+
  • macOS Catalina compatible

Windows Compatibility

  • PC with Thunderbolt 3 ports
  • Windows 10 (64-bit Edition Version 1809 or greater, see note)
  • Important Note: Windows computers require the latest BIOS and Thunderbolt drivers to support this product. Check with your computer manufacturer for update information.

Technical Notes

  1. ThunderLok 3 compatible specifically with Sonnet 0.5- and 0.7 meter Thunderbolt 3 cables; Sonnet 1- and 2-meter Thunderbolt 3 cables require ThunderLok 3L.
  2. While the Echo Express SE IIIe 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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. One Thunderbolt 3 5K monitor directly supported. All Thunderbolt 3 Macs support two 4K monitors. Most Thunderbolt PCs support two 4K monitors.
  5. 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).
  6. 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).

Connect Three Full-height, Half-length+ PCIe Cards to Computers with Thunderbolt 3 Ports

Although thin Mac®, Windows®, and Linux® computers with Thunderbolt™ 3 ports offer processing power to spare, for many users (such as pros in the creative fields) onboard processing power alone is not enough. Sonnet’s Echo™ Express SE IIIe is a compact, desktop Thunderbolt™ 3 to PCIe card expansion system that enables you to connect three professional PCIe cards at the same time to any computer with Thunderbolt 3 ports.

The Thunderbolt 3 Connection

This compact desktop expansion system supports three professional PCIe cards (video capture; audio DSP; 6Gb or 12Gb SAS or SATA host bus adapter; 10Gb, 25Gb, or40Gb Ethernet; or RAID controller; etc.) and connects them to your computer through a single Thunderbolt 3 cable.

Nearly Every Thunderbolt-Compatible, Non-GPU PCIe Card Supported

Smaller than the 3-slot Echo Express III-D (Thunderbolt 3 Edition), the Echo Express SE IIIe is still large enough to support nearly every Thunderbolt 3 compatible card available. With its three x8 slots, the SE IIIe supports PCIe 3.0, PCIe 2.0, and PCIe 1.1 cards up to 7.75 inches long. Do you have a card in mind but aren’t sure it’s compatible? Sonnet have put together a list in their supporting PCIe Card Thunderbolt Compatibility Chart (PDF). There you’ll find cards identified as conforming to Thunderbolt technology requirements, and organized by fit and power compatibility with specific expansion system.

Design Smarts

Aluminum Enclosure. Auto Power On/Off.

The inside of the Echo Express SE IIIe 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. Since 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.

Three PCIe 3.0 Slots for Demanding Professional Needs

Echo Express SE IIIe’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.

Power to Spare

Echo Express SE IIIe 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, and Bluefish444’s Epoch and KRONOS SDI cards.

Quiet Please

The Echo Express SE IIIe is designed to be ultra-quiet so that it can be comfortably used in noise-sensitive environments. Its enclosure is ventilated front and back to facilitate airflow over the cards bya large, quiet, temperature-controlled fan to efficiently cool the system. The fan automatically speeds up and slows down smoothly as needed—there’s no guesswork in deciding which fan speed to select.

Included at No Extra Charge

Thunderbolt 3 Cable. ThunderLok 3.

Sonnet includes a 0.7-meter Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps) cable that, unlike some other cables, transfers data at Thunderbolt 3’s full 2750 MB/s bandwidth, and supports up to 100W of Power Delivery (PD). Sonnet also provides a ThunderLok 3 Thunderbolt connector retainer clip(1) that prevents accidental cable disconnections—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.

Fastest External Interface Available

Echo Express SE IIIe 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.(2)(3)

Thunderbolt 3 – The USB C That Does It All

Echo Express SE IIIe 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 also 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. For connected peripherals requiring extra power, 15 watts is provided to connected bus-powered devices. With the ability to handle multiple demanding, high performance PCIe cards, support for connecting two 4K displays @ 60Hz or one 5K display @ 60Hz(4), and support for a vast array of Thunderbolt(5) and USB(6) devices, Thunderbolt 3 is a leap forward in every way.

Big Sur Compatiblity

THUNDERBOLT 3 PRODUCTS SKU Big Sur Intel Macs Big Sur M1 Macs
Echo 11 Thunderbolt 3 Dock SON-ECHO-DK11-TB3 √ (M1 Macs support only one monitor in TB Docks)
Solo5G USB 3 to 5GBASE-T Ethernet Adapter SON-SOLO5G-USB3 √ (Update driver to version 1.4.12) X Marvell driver update TBD
Solo10G Thunderbolt 3 to 10GBASE-T Ethernet Adapter SON-SOLO10G-TB3
Solo10G Thunderbolt 3 to SFP+ 10 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter (SFP+ included) SON-SOLO10G-SFP-TB3
Twin10G Thunderbolt 3 Edition - Dual Port 10GBASE-T Ethernet Adapter SON-SOLO10G-SFP-TB3 Sonnet X550 driver update coming Q1 2021
Twin10G SFP+ Thunderbolt 3 Edition - Dual Port SFP+ 10 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter SON-TWIN10GCSFP-TB3 Sonnet 82599 driver update coming Q1 2021
Echo Express SEL Thunderbolt 3 One-Slot Low-Profile PCIe Card Expansion System SON-ECHOEXPSE1-TB3 √ (PCIe card must have M1 compatible driver)
Echo Express SE I Thunderbolt 3 One-Slot PCIe Card Expansion System SON-ECHOEXPSEL-TB3 √ (PCIe card must have M1 compatible driver)
Echo Express SE IIIe Thunderbolt 3 Three-Slot PCIe Card Expansion System SON-ECHOEXPSE3-E-TB3 √ (PCIe cards must have M1 compatible drivers)
Echo III Desktop Thunderbolt 3 Three-Slot PCIe Card Expansion System SON-ECHO3D-TB3 √ (PCIe cards must have M1 compatible drivers)
Echo III Rackmount Thunderbolt 3 Three-Slot PCIe Card Expansion System SON-ECHO3R-TB3 √ (PCIe cards must have M1 compatible drivers)
2018 xMac mini Server with one full-length and one half-length slot Thunderbolt 3 Edition SON-XMACMSA-TB3 √ (PCIe cards must have M1 compatible drivers)
eGFX Breakaway Box 550 SON-GPU550W-TB3 X (M1 Macs do not currently support eGPUs)
eGPU Breakaway Box 750 SON-GPU-750W-TB3 X (M1 Macs do not currently support eGPUs)
eGPU Breakaway Box 750ex SON-GPU-750WEX-TB3 X (M1 Macs do not currently support eGPUs)
eGPU Breakaway Puck Radeon RX 5500XT SON-GPURX5500XT-TB3 X (M1 Macs do not support Dual Display TB Adapters)
eGPU Breakaway Puck Radeon RX 5700 SON-GPURX5700-TB3 X (M1 Macs do not support Dual Display TB Adapters)
Thunderbolt 3 to Dual DisplayPort Adapter - Supports two 4K Displays SON-TB3DDP4K X (M1 Macs do not support Dual Display TB Adapters)
Thunderbolt 3 to Dual HDMI Adapter - Supports two 4K Displays SON-TB3DHDMI X (M1 Macs do not support Dual Display TB Adapters)
PROFESSIONAL MEDIA READERS SKU Big Sur Intel Macs Big Sur M1 Macs
SF3 Series - CFexpress/XQD Thunderbolt 3 Pro Card Reader SON-SF3-2CFEX √ CFExpress | X Sony XQD driver update TBD
SF3 Series - CFast 2.0 Thunderbolt 3 Pro Card Reader SON-SF32CFST
SF3 Series - RED Mini-Mag Thunderbolt 3 Pro Card Reader SON-SF3-2RMM
SF3 Series - SxS Thunderbolt 3 Pro Card Reader SON-SF32SXS X Sony SxS driver update TBD
Thunderbolt Pro P2 Card Reader - Thunderbolt 2 SON-TBP2 Sonnet P2 driver update coming Q1 2021 Sonnet P2 driver update coming Q1 2021
Echo ExpressCard Pro SxS Media Reader - Thunderbolt 2 SON-ECHOPROE34 X Sony SxS driver update TBD
SDHC Adapter for SxS Camera Slot or SF3 Series SxS Reader SON-SDSXS-E34
Sonnet Power Adapter - Echo Express SE III | Echo 15+ Dock
Power Adapter - Echo Express SE III | Echo 15+ Dock

Power Adapter for Echo Express SE III & Echo 15+ Dock
[SONPWR10A12V]

Editing in the 21st Century: why you need 10GbE

Working on a local copy of a creative project may be your default. If your central storage and network can’t support the data rates you need for multiple streams of high resolution video, it may be your only option. That process of transferring files from shared storage to your desktop (and back again), is not only slow, it’s also extremely inefficient. To work at speed, you need the editor, FX artist, audio, colourist and titles to collaborate and work as a team.

How do I add video (and other) inputs to my MacBook Pro?

Apple laptops have evolved to become minimalist powerhouses. Over the years, MacBook Pro designers have engineered a beautiful, sleek chassis and reduced the weight significantly. The result is a travel-friendly powerhouse, a light-weight editing workstation, a super-slim 4K grading system. But this progress has come at the cost of reducing laptop's connectivity. A point of contention for many users is that Thunderbolt 3 USB C connections are now the only remaining options. What's wrong with Thunderbolt? Nothing. But creatives often need a fast 10-gigabyte network port, HDMI out and an SD reader among other things. Read TechCrunch for a full rundown on the "Ins & Outs" of the MacBook Pro. For video professionals, there's one more conundrum to solve: how can I add video inputs or outputs to my MacBook Pro?

Sonnet launches 3-slot Thunderbolt 3 Chassis

Compact Three-Slot Expansion Chassis Enables Connection of up to Three High-Performance PCIe® Cards With 2750 MB/s of Bandwidth via Thunderbolt™ 3 Interface Sonnet Technologies today announced the launch of the Echo™ Express SE III, the newest member of the company's award-winning Echo Express family of Thunderbolt™-to-PCI Express® (PCIe®) expansion systems. With full support for Thunderbolt 3, the Echo Express SE III is a compact desktop device that enables the use of up to three high-performance PCIe cards with Mac® computers equipped with Thunderbolt 3 ports.

  • Echo Express SE IIIe
  • Universal power adapter
  • Power cord
  • 0.7-meter Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps) cable
  • ThunderLok 3 Thunderbolt Connector Retainer Clip(1)
  • Documentation

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