With the release of the Avid badged desktop and rack-mounted Thunderbolt 3 solutions, if you wanted to use one HDX card we now had an Avid approved solution, but what if you wanted more than one HDX card, what then? Yes there are solutions, but Sonnet has announced a new, Avid Approved, Echo III model that looks very similar to the Avid badged solutions. We have the details.

For those for whom the Mac Pro 7,1 is too expensive, but still need PCIe cards, using the latest portable, mini desktop and all-in-one computers in their workflows, onboard processing power alone is not enough to get the job done.

While these computers include high-performance Thunderbolt 3 ports to support peripherals, what they lack is PCIe expansion slots to install speciality cards that add needed video and audio inputs and more. Sonnet has a new solution, the Echo III Desktop, and Echo III Rackmount, Thunderbolt 3 to PCIe card expansion systems that enable you to connect three (up to) full-length (12.28 inches long) PCIe cards at the same time, via a single cable to your mini desktop and all-in-one computers.

Supports Every Thunderbolt 3 Compatible, Non-GPU PCIe Card

Sonnet is claiming that the new Echo III units will support every Thunderbolt 3 compatible, non-GPU PCIe 1.1/2.0/3.0 card available including video capture and transcoding; audio DSP; 6Gb or 12Gb SAS or SATA host bus adapter; 10Gb, 25Gb or Ethernet; SSD storage; and more.

Sonnet has put together a compatibility list that identifies cards conforming to Thunderbolt technology requirements and organized by fit and power compatibility with specific expansion systems.

What Makes This Model Different To The Previous Models?

As we explained in our article back in 2018 What Pro Tools Compatible Thunderbolt Expansion Chassis Can I Use With My Apple Mac Pro Tools Computer? when Apple Thunderbolt 3 computers like the Mac Mini 2018 and the iMac Pro, had been released there was confusion about which Thunderbolt expansion chassis you could use with a Thunderbolt-equipped Apple computer and so we put together a guide especially as the transition to Thunderbolt 3 has muddied the waters in this area.

The problem when using Avid HDX cards in a multi-slot expansion chassis is the combination of a Thunderbolt 3 interface AND a PCIe 3rd generation 3 bridge chip on the backplane board with multiple slots (and this bridge chip is required to support multiple PCIe slots) means that the Avid HDX cards don’t work in these multi-slot chassis. So Sonnet produced an HDX Edition of their Echo Express III chassis with a Thunderbolt 3 card with a PCIe Gen2 backplane, instead of the usual Gen3 backplane, to support Avid’s HDX cards.

However having 2 models has made it more complicated for the user and for Sonnet, who have to stock 2 versions of the Desktop chassis and 2 versions of the rackmount chassis.

Back in 2018, we said…

“Sonnet has told us that Avid is aware of this and Avid are working to diagnose and fix it, but we have no information as to how long this might take. Rest assured that as soon as we get more information on this we will bring it to you.”

Well, it’s taken a little while but here in November 2020, we have the update. The new Echo III Desktop and Echo III Rackmount chassis have an internal ‘HDX Switch” so that they can effectively switch the backplane from Gen3 to Gen2 making life simpler for both user and manufacturer alike.

At the flick of a switch, the Avid qualified Echo III Desktop or Rackmount system can be optimised to support up to three Pro Tools | HDX PCIe cards, with no extra parts required. Sonnet tell us that this chassis has been tested and is qualified by Avid for use with Avid Pro Tools HD 2020 software, and Avid Pro Tools HDX and HD Native systems, although Avid has yet to update their Pro Tools Thunderbolt Chassis Compatibility knowledgebase article to reflect this.

Rackmount Option As Well As Desktop Version

‍You can choose between the Echo III Rackmount and Echo III Desktop to suit your workflow needs. The Echo III Rackmount mounts in a rack space 2U tall and is only 16.5 inches deep, making it ideal for use in a wide range of popular mobile racks, carts, and rack cases, and in server rooms as well. The III Rackmount even saves space for optional future expansion.

Sonnet III Key Features

• Connects up to three high-performance non-GPU PCIe cards via a Thunderbolt 3 cable to your computer lacking expansion slots.

• HDX compatibility mode enables the use of up to three Pro Tools | HDX PCIe cards with no additional parts needed.

• Every Thunderbolt 3 compatible, non-GPU card supported regardless of length or height.

• Three PCIe 3.0 Slots with one x16 plus two x8 slots support three full-height, single-width cards, or one double-width card plus one single-width card.

• Integrated 400W power supply with 75W auxiliary power. Saves energy by powering on/off automatically with the computer.

• Dual temperature-controlled, variable-speed Noctua fans rated at 17dBA automatically and quietly cool the cards.

• 40Gbps Thunderbolt 3 Interface offers 2750 MB/s of PCIe bandwidth for the installed cards(1).

• Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports - one port connects to computer; second port supports daisy-chaining of up to five additional Thunderbolt peripheral devices.

• Includes a 0.7-meter Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps) cable that transfers data at Thunderbolt 3’s full 2750 MB/s PCIe bandwidth at no extra charge.

• No Thunderbolt 3? The Echo III Desktop is also compatible with Macs with Thunderbolt 2 ports when used with the bi-directional Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter and a Thunderbolt cable (both sold separately).

A Small Delay In Availability

Sonnet tells us that there has been a short delay in availability of the new model, which is unfortunate because the HDX models are pretty well sold out, but Sonnet has said that they expect to be able to ship the new models from December 11th 2020.