This product is discontinued and replaced by Echo Express SE IIIe
Echo Express SE III

Echo Express SE III

3-slot Desktop Thunderbolt 3 Expansion System for PCIe Cards

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 (such as pros in the creative fields) onboard processing power alone is not enough. 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 at the same time to any computer with Thunderbolt 3 ports.

Echo Express SE III with MacBook Pro
PCIe Card Connected to Thunderbolt Computer

The Thunderbolt 3 Connection

This compact desktop expansion system supports three professional PCIe cards (video capture, audio interface, 6Gb or 12Gb SAS or SATA host bus adapter, 8Gb or 16Gb Fibre Channel, 10Gb or 40Gb Ethernet, or RAID controller) and connects it to your computer through a single Thunderbolt 3 cable.

Key Features

PCIe Card Icon

Connect PCIe Cards

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

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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.

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40Gbps Thunderbolt 3 Interface

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

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Pro Performance. Compact Design.

Takes up little space on the desktop, but large enough to support nearly every Thunderbolt-compatible PCIe card, at full performance.

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Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports

One port connects to computer; second port supports daisy-chaining of up to five additional Thunderbolt peripheral devices.

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Temperature-controlled Fan

Automatically operates slower and quieter with cooler cards; provides better cooling for hotter cards.

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Energy Saver Mode

Powers on/off automatically with the computer.

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Rugged Aluminum Housing

Provides robust and secure protection.

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Power for Peripherals

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

Free Lifetime Tech Support
PCIe Cards

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 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. 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.

Echo Express SE III Icon

Design Smarts

Aluminum Enclosure. Auto Power On/Off.

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. 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 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.

Echo Express SE III PCIe Card Size Support
Echo Express SE III (Interior View)

1. Three PCIe 3.0 x8 slots

Fan Icon

Quiet Please

The Echo Express SE III's enclosure is ventilated front and back to facilitate airflow over the cards by a 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 supports Thunderbolt 3’s full 2750 MB/s PCIe bandwidth. 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.

ThunderLok 3 Connection
Thunderbolt Logo

Fastest External Interface Available

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.(2)(3)

Thunderbolt 3 Port Info Icon

Thunderbolt 3 –
The USB-C That Does It All

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 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(4), and support for a vast array of Thunderbolt(5) and USB(6) devices, Thunderbolt 3 is a leap forward in every way.

Thunderbolt 3 Port Info Icon

BLAZING PERFORMANCE

Up to Twice the Performance of Thunderbolt 2

Thunderbolt 3 Speed Comparison Chart
Thunderbolt 3 Daisy Chain Diagram
Connect computer to one port on the Echo Express SE III and daisy chain up to 5 additional Thunderbolt devices (plus two 4K monitors, one 5K display, or one USB 3.0 device)
See Tech Specs for footnotes.
Product specifications and information subject to change without notice. Computer hardware and accessories featured in photos that are not included with product are shown for illustration purposes; items sold separately.

Replaced by Echo Express SE IIIe