Sonnet Echo Express

Echo Express SEL (Thunderbolt 3 Edition)

1-slot Desktop Thunderbolt 3 Expansion System for Low-profile PCIe Cards

Connect a Low-profile PCIe Card to Computers with Thunderbolt 3 Ports

Shopping for a new computer? The latest ultra-light notebooks, small form factor and all-in-one Mac®, Windows®(1), and Linux® computers with Thunderbolt™ 3 ports are slender marvels of engineering that come with a cost—there’s nowhere to install PCIe cards that provide additional connectivity and processing capabilities. Sonnet’s Echo™ Express SEL (Thunderbolt 3 Edition) is a compact, desktop Thunderbolt™ 3 to PCIe card expansion system that enables you to connect a low-profile PCIe card to any computer with Thunderbolt 3 ports.

The Thunderbolt 3 Connection

Through its x8 PCIe 3.0 slot, this little expansion system supports many low-profile PCIe cards (Thunderbolt-compatible 16Gb and 8Gb Fibre Channel, 40Gb and 10Gb Ethernet, video capture and processing, SAS and SATA host bus adapters, and RAID controllers) and connects it to your computer through a single Thunderbolt 3 cable.

Key Features

Connects a PCIe Card

Use high-performance PCIe cards with any computer with a Thunderbolt 3 port.

One PCIe 3.0 x8 Slot

Supports one low-profile PCIe card.

40Gbps Thunderbolt 3 Interface

Offers 2750 MB/s of PCIe bandwidth, doubling the performance of Thunderbolt 2.

Small Package. Full Performance.

Smallest Thunderbolt 3 to PCIe card expansion system available; supports the most popular low-profile, Thunderbolt-compatible PCIe cards 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 card.

Energy Saver Mode

Powers on/off automatically with the computer.

Rugged Aluminum Housing

Provides robust and secure protection.

Power for Peripherals

Daisy chain port provides up to 15W of power to connected peripherals.

Free Lifetime Tech Support

‍Sonnet was established in Irvine, California in 1986. Since then, we’ve pioneered and brought to market many innovative and award-winning products that enhance the performance and connectivity of Mac, Windows, and other industry-standard computers. Many of our employees (including engineers) have been with the company for more than 20 years (some have been here since the beginning). We have a wealth of knowledge about our current and past products. Should you ever need technical support on one of our products, contact us; we’ll be around to help you.

Nearly Every Thunderbolt-compatible, Low-profile PCIe Card Supported

The Echo Express SEL accommodates a wide variety of PCIe cards. Do you have a card in mind but aren’t sure it’s compatible? We’ve put together a list in our 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.

Smart Design, Inside and Out

Aluminum Enclosure. Auto Power On/Off.

With a shell crafted of rugged and lightweight aluminum, Echo Express SEL securely houses the installed PCIe card. Inside, the card is protected through the use of a variable-speed, temperature-controlled fan which ensures the card and chassis’ components remain reliably cool. The fan automatically speeds up as necessary to cool the card when it’s hot, and slows down when it’s cool. 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.

Designed for Low-profile PCIe Cards

Echo Express SEL supports one half-length (up to 6.6 inches long), low-profile, single-width PCIe card; PCIe 1.1, PCIe 2.0, and PCIe 3.0 cards are supported. Many of the most popular Thunderbolt-compatible high-speed networking and storage controller cards are a perfect fit, and even the BlueFish 444 Epoch 4K Neutron video card can be accommodated.

Quiet Please

Echo Express SEL is designed to be ultra-quiet so that it can be comfortably used in noise-sensitive environments. The airflow path within the chassis has been specially designed to enable the fan to quietly and efficiently cool the installed card at all times, even during peak operation.

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(2) 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 SEL (Thunderbolt 3 Edition) 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.

Thunderbolt 3 –

The USB-C That Does It All

Echo Express SEL (Thunderbolt 3 Edition) 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 SEL also includes 10Gbps USB 3.2 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, and support for a vast array of Thunderbolt and USB devices, Thunderbolt 3 is a leap forward in every way.