Sonnet Echo II DV Desktop

Sonnet Echo II DV Desktop

Create a desktop broadcast studio with the Echo II DV Desktop from Sonnet. Designed for Windows, Mac, and Linux systems that lack available PCIe slots, its dual PCIe 3.0 x16 slots let you simultaneously connect two full-height, full-length PCIe cards using two cables. Each slot has its own Thunderbolt interface and supports bandwidth-hungry, non-GPU I/O cards, such as the AJA Kona 5 and Blackmagic DeckLink 4K Extreme 12G. Connectivity to your host system is achieved using dual 40 Gb/s Thunderbolt 3 ports, with data transfers that reach as high as 3000 MB/s with Thunderbolt 4 and 2570 MB/s with Thunderbolt 3. Power is provided by an integrated 400W PSU with dual 75W auxiliary connectors and operations are kept cool using dual variable-speed Noctua fans. For greater ease of use, the Echo II will turn on and off with your host system.

Connect Two Demanding DV I/O Cards to Computers with Thunderbolt 4 or Thunderbolt 3 Ports

For creative pros in the audio and video broadcasting industries, using high-performance notebooks, compact desktops, and all-in-one computers require multiple I/O ports. While these Mac, Windows, and Linux computers include high-performance Thunderbolt 4 or Thunderbolt 3 ports, they lack PCIe expansion slots to install specialty cards with dedicated bandwidth to each card.

Make Your Broadcast Studio - Echo II DV Desktop

Computers such as the Mac Studio and other M Series Mac computers feature powerful Thunderbolt/USB4 ports, each individually driven by their own dedicated Thunderbolt bus. To harness this dedicated power, Sonnet has a creative solution - the Echo II DV Desktop - a professional Thunderbolt to PCIe card expansion system that enables you to connect two (up to) full-length (12.28" long) PCIe cards at the same time, via two cables. The Echo II DV Module exploits your computer's full potential, connecting two PCIe 3.0 card slots - each with its own Thunderbolt interface - for you to install two bandwidth-hungry DV I/O cards in one enclosure.

Note: For maximum performance with more than one bandwidth-hungry PCIe card, such as the DeckLink 8K, this product requires connection to two Thunderbolt ports on your computer.

Systems with One Thunderbolt Port

When your computer has only one Thunderbolt port, you can still use Echo II DV Desktop. Because each PCIe card slot is supported by its own Thunderbolt interface with two Thunderbolt ports, you can take advantage of Thunderbolt's daisy-chaining feature. Simply connect one Thunderbolt interface to the other using one of the two supplied Thunderbolt cables, and use the other cable to connect to the computer.

Two Versatile PCIe Slots

• Thunderbolt rackmount expansion system for power-hungry AV I/O cards
• Supports two full-height, full-length PCIe cards, each at full bandwidth
• Two x16 PCIe 3.0 slots
• Up to double the bandwidth for double the video channels
• Supports most single-width Thunderbolt-compatible non-GPU card

400W of Power

• Built-in 400W power supply with dual 75W auxiliary power connectors
• Supports power-hungry, non-GPU cards, such as the AJA Kona 5 and Blackmagic DeckLink 4K Extreme 12G PCIe cards
• Powers on and off automatically with your connected computer

Thunderbolt 3 Interface

• Two Thunderbolt 3 ports, reserved for host computer connectivity
• Independent Thunderbolt connection to each card slot
• 40 Gb/s Thunderbolt interface offers 3000 MB/s of PCIe bandwidth with Thunderbolt 4 computers and 2750 MB/s with Thunderbolt 3 computers
• Compatible with Apple M Series and Intel Thunderbolt 4 and Thunderbolt 3 computers  

Mac Compatibility

• Mac (M series) with PCIe cards that have compatible drivers
• Mac (Intel) with Thunderbolt 3 ports
• macOS 10.12.6+
• macOS Sonoma compatible

Windows Compatibility

• Windows computer with Thunderbolt 4 ports
• Windows computer with Thunderbolt 3 ports
• Windows 11 22H2 built 22621.819 and newer
• Windows 10

Linux Compatibility

• Linux computer with Thunderbolt 4 ports
• Linux computer with Thunderbolt 3 ports
• Linux Kernel 5.4+

Technical Notes

• Echo II DV Rackmount features dual Thunderbolt interfaces and, for best performance with PCIe cards with high bandwidth requirements, must be connected to two Thunderbolt ports on your computer. Depending on the PC manufacturer, some computers with Thunderbolt 4 ports support each port with its own bus, or may divide bandwidth of a Thunderbolt 4 bus between two ports.
• While the Echo II DV Rackmount features dual 40 Gb/s Thunderbolt interfaces, some Windows computers equipped with Thunderbolt 3 use an PCIe x2 lane implementation of Thunderbolt 3 technology that limits PCIe performance to 20 Gb/s.