Sonnet Launches Four Thunderbolt to PCIe Card Expansion Solutions Offering Doubled Bandwidth, Supporting up to 2x Performance

Sonnet Technologies, Inc. announced the Echo II DV Desktop, Echo II DV Rackmount, Echo II DV Module, and xMac Studio/Echo II DV, the newnmembers of the company’s family of Thunderbolt to PCIe card expansion systems.

Each of these products enables the use of 2 high-performance, bandwidth-hungry PCIe cards at maximum performance at the same time (up to 2,880MB/s PCIe bandwidth for each card) with computers equipped with Thunderbolt ports, doubling the available bandwidth compared to what was previously offered in multislot PCIe card expansion chassis.

Echo II DV Desktop

All 4 products support the use of full-height, full-length, single-width PCIe cards. Echo II DV Desktop is a full-size desktop chassis, while Echo II DV rackmount features a rack-mountable 2U enclosure with space for expansion. Echo II DV Module is offered as an upgrade for use in the firm’s DuoModo modular desktop and rackmount enclosures as well as the xMac Studio pro 3U rackmount and Thunderbolt expansion system for Mac Studio computers. xMac Studio/Echo II DV is a preconfigured system including the module.

Echo II DV Rackmount

What they do:
Echo II DV Module – the heart of all Echo II DV products – enables users to connect 2 PCIe cards to computers lacking PCIe card slots. The module features 2x16 PCIe 3.1 slots, each equipped with its own Thunderbolt interface; accommodates up-to full-height, full-length (up to 12.28 inches long), single-width PCIe cards; and connects them to a computer’s Thunderbolt ports via included Thunderbolt (40Gb/s) cables. The module integrates a universal 400W power supply and includes 2x75W auxiliary power connectors for non-GPU cards that require extra power.

xMac Studio/Echo II DV front and rear

“ToolsOnAir has realized many successful projects using Sonnet’s innovative products, enabling us to provide state-of-the-art software solutions for the broadcast industry. We are pleased to continue this partnership with their new xMac Studio/Echo II DV product. Its dual independent Thunderbolt connections, one to each expansion slot, doubles the available Thunderbolt PCIe bandwidth to installed cards, important especially when working with highly demanding UHD/4K workflows,” said Manuel Grund, COO, ToolsOnAir Broadcast Engineering GmbH.

“The game-changing Echo II DV Module is the ideal companion for Softron broadcasting and video production software solutions, effectively doubling the number of inputs MovieRecorder captures in the same footprint and offering users a much cleaner solution to capture or play out multiple 4K channels on the Mac,” said Pierre Chevalier, CTO, Softron Microcomputing, SA.

Why they’re important?
Computers generally lack the unique ports and specific data processing capabilities needed for pro video and audio workflows, requiring users to add internal or external interfaces to support I/O, digital signal processing, and video capture and playback. While desktop workstations can be outfitted with PCIe adapter cards to add what’s needed, the laptop, mini desktop, and all-in-one computers (such as the MacBook Pro, Mac Studio, and iMac) often favored by pro users, require the use of Thunderbolt connected expansion. Sonnet Echo II DV expansion systems enable users to save space and money by mounting 2 up-to full size PCIe cards, each supported through its own Thunderbolt interface, in a single transportable desktop or rackmount enclosure and connecting them to their computer through Thunderbolt cables.

How they’re distinctive?
M series Mac computers and some Thunderbolt 4 PCs have 2 or more 40Gb/s Thunderbolt ports, each providing 2,880MB/s of PCIe bandwidth, while Intel Mac computers and Windows PCs with 3 or 4 Thunderbolt ports have 2 Thunderbolt controllers, each providing 2,880MB/s of PCIe bandwidth. By employing a separate Thunderbolt interface for each card slot, Echo II DV is designed to provide full PCIe bandwidth to each slot when connected to 2 computer Thunderbolt ports that also have independent PCIe bandwidth. This enables users to exploit 2 cards’ full potential performance at the same time, which is for cards with high-bandwidth requirements such as DV I/O, NVMe SSD storage, and 10 and 25GbE adapters.