Sonnet Introduces Echo SE III T5 Three-Slot Thunderbolt 5 PCIe Expansion Chassis

The desktop enclosure is designed to connect up to three PCIe cards—including professional audio and DSP hardware—to compatible Thunderbolt 5, Thunderbolt 4 or USB4 computers.

Sonnet Technologies has introduced the Echo SE III T5, a desktop PCIe expansion chassis intended to connect up to three professional PCIe cards to a computer through a single Thunderbolt 5 cable. For audio users working from laptops or compact computers without internal expansion, it could provide an external route for PCIe-based audio, DSP, networking or storage hardware.

Sonnet lists professional audio and DSP among the supported application categories for the multipurpose enclosure, alongside video, Ethernet, SSD and SAS expansion. The chassis provides three PCIe 3.1 x8 slots and, according to Sonnet, accepts either three single-width cards or one double-width and one single-width card. It accommodates full-height, half-length cards up to 7.75 inches long and includes a 6-pin auxiliary-power connector for cards requiring additional power.

The company states that the Echo SE III T5 supports computers with Thunderbolt 5, Thunderbolt 4 or USB4 ports across macOS, Windows and Linux. A second Thunderbolt port supports device daisy-chaining and can provide up to 15 watts to bus-powered peripherals. Sonnet also specifies a temperature-controlled Noctua fan, which it positions as aiding quieter operation in recording and broadcast settings, plus an included ThunderLok connector intended to help prevent accidental cable disconnection. Specific qualified audio and DSP cards were not identified in the supplied product information.