Create a 2U Rackmount Broadcast Studio

Connect Two Bandwidth-hungry Pro PCIe Cards to Computers with Thunderbolt Ports
Are you using one of the latest portable, mini desktop or all-in-one computers in your creative pro workflow? You’ve probably discovered that onboard processing power alone is not enough to get your job done. While these Mac®, Windows®, and Linux® computers include high-performance Thunderbolt™ ports to support peripherals, they lack PCIe® expansion slots necessary to install specialty cards that add needed video and audio I/O, transcode data, and connect to high-speed networks and shared storage.

Sonnet has the ultimate solution for connecting cards with high bandwidth requirements — Echo™ II DV Rackmount — a professional Thunderbolt to PCIe card expansion system that enables you to connect two up to full-length (12.28 inches long), single-width PCIe cards to your computer, each to a separate Thunderbolt port (if needed) for maximum bandwidth to each card.

2x 2880 MB/s

Specially Designed to Support Maximum Performance from Two Cards

Two PCIe Card Slots. Dual Thunderbolt Interfaces for Double the Bandwidth.

Some computers — such as the latest MacBook Pro®, Mac Studio®, Mac mini® and iMac® (plus some Windows PCs such as Dell XPS 9730)— have multiple Thunderbolt ports that are supported by separate 40Gbps Thunderbolt buses and provide up to 2880 MB/s of PCIe bandwidth to each port. Among multi-slot Thunderbolt to PCIe card expansion systems, the Sonnet Echo II DV Rackmount is unique. Instead of using one Thunderbolt interface for two or three slots — which dynamically allocates the PCIe bandwidth between them — Echo II DV employs one interface per slot. With each slot getting Thunderbolt’s full PCIe bandwidth, you can exploit two cards’ full potential when connected at the same time to separate Thunderbolt buses on the computer, ideal for cards with high bandwidth requirement such as DV I/O, NVMe SSD storage, and 10 and 25Gb Ethernet adapters.

It’s All About That Bandwidth!

Separate Thunderbolt Interface for Each Card Slot
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 two computer Thunderbolt ports that also have independent PCIe bandwidth. Computers with independent PCIe bandwidth to two or more Thunderbolt ports include all Apple silicon (M series) Macs, and Intel Macs or PCs with three or four Thunderbolt ports. (A few Pro PC laptops with only two Thunderbolt ports support independent PCIe Bandwidth. Check your computer’s specifications.) Computers that share PCIe bandwidth between their Thunderbolt ports, that would provide only shared bandwidth to the two slots, include Intel Macs or PCs with only two Thunderbolt ports.

Thunderbolt Connected

Plugged into one or two of your computer’s Thunderbolt ports, the Echo II DV Rackmount system enables you to connect two up to full-height, single-width professional PCIe cards.

Versatile PCIe Card Support

Supports Every Thunderbolt Compatible, Single-width, Non-GPU Card

Echo II DV Rackmount supports every Thunderbolt compatible, single-width, non-GPU PCIe 4.0, 3.1, 2.0, and 1.1 card available including video capture, streaming and transcoding; SSD storage; audio DSP; 10Gb or 25Gb Ethernet; SAS or SATA host bus adapter; and other specialty types to your system.

Do you have a card in mind but aren’t sure it’s compatible? We’ve put together a compatibility list that identifies cards conforming to Thunderbolt technology requirements and organized by fit and power compatibility with specific expansion systems.

Built for Cool, Rackable Expansion

Echo II DV 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. Its enclosure is formed of heavy-duty steel to provide secure mounting for the Echo II DV module and protection for the PCIe cards installed inside, and to support maximum airflow for cooling, regardless of where you install it in a rack.

Extra Space, Extra Expansion Possibilities

Echo II DV Module—the heart of Echo II DV Rackmount—occupies one half of the rackmount enclosure, leaving space for an additional Echo module (and even a Mac mini mounting module/Thunderbolt dock). Does your computer have four Thunderbolt buses like Mac Studio and M2 Pro Mac mini? Add an additional Echo II DV Module to exploit your computer’s full potential, connecting four bandwidth-hungry PCIe cards at full performance. Add an Echo III Module instead to connect three full-height, full-length cards through a single Thunderbolt cable. Do you need to secure a Mac mini in a rack? Consider the DuoModo xMac mini Module to mount your mini and connect the Echo II DV Module plus a Thunderbolt storage dock, all in a 2U rack space!

Dual Noctua Fans

Ultra-quiet Operation
Featuring dual Noctua fans, Echo II DV Rackmount is designed to deliver ultra-quiet operation so that it can be comfortably used in noise-sensitive environments. Rated at 17.1dBA — below the 20dBA ceiling prescribed for use in recording and broadcast studios — the fans spread the spectrum of their noise to minimize the impact at any single frequency. To further ensure negligible noise levels, the fans are temperature-controlled, automatically speeding up and slowing down smoothly as needed, and the enclosure is engineered to optimize airflow over the installed cards to effectively and efficiently cool the system.

Secure Connections for High Performance

40Gbps Thunderbolt Cables and ThunderLok Clips Included
Sonnet includes two Thunderbolt cables that support Thunderbolt’s full 40Gbps bandwidth and are fully compatible with Thunderbolt 4 and Thunderbolt 3 computers. Sonnet also provides two ThunderLok™ Thunderbolt connector retainer clips that prevent accidental cable disconnections — just slide one 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.

Part Number	ECHO-2RDV-TB3
Hardware
Form Factor	Thunderbolt rackmount enclosure
External Connectors	Four Thunderbolt ports Power (C14-type)
Internal Connector	Two 6-pin auxiliary power; provide up to 75W of power each for PCIe cards that require supplemental power
Expansion Slot	Two x16 mechanical (x4 electrical) PCIe 3.1
PCIe Cards Supported	Two full-length, full-height, single-width PCIe cards
Power Supply	Universal 400W, 115-230V AC, 50-60 Hz
Dimensions (WxDxH)	3.5 x 16.7 x 9 in. (8.9 x 42.4 x 22.9 cm)
Weight	9.7 lbs (4.40 kg)
Compliance	RoHS 3 (Directive 2015/863) IEC62368-1 and IEC62368-2
Package Contents	Echo II DV rackmount System Region-specific power cable for US, Australia, Europe, Japan, Switzerland, or UK Two 6-pin PCIe auxiliary power cables Two 0.7- meter Thunderbolt cables Two ThunderLoks (Thunderbolt connector retainer clips) Documentation