New York, NY (October 30, 2026)—Sonnet Technologies is now shipping its Echo III T5 family of three-slot Thunderbolt 5 to PCIe card expansion systems. The series includes five products: Echo III T5 Module, Echo III T5 Desktop, Echo III T5 Rackmount, xMac mini(2024+)/Echo III T5, and xMac Studio/Echo III T5. All of these devices can be used to add PCIe expansion cards to computers that don’t have internal PCIe card slots.
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The fundamental component in all Echo III T5 products is the Echo III T5 Module, which is included with the desktop and rackmount systems, or available as an add-on module. The Echo III T5 module allows users to connect up to three PCIe cards to their computer via Thunderbolt or USB4 ports. It accommodates up to three full-height, full-length (up to 12.28 inches long), single-width PCIe cards, or one double-width card plus one single-width card.
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It connects the cards to a computer’s Thunderbolt port via Thunderbolt 5 cable (included) and features a universal 400W power supply, plus a 75W auxiliary power connector for cards that require extra power. Cooling is accomplished using ultra-quiet, dual temperature-controlled Noctua fans rated at 17 dbA. The Thunderbolt 5 to PCIe interface provides 3400 MB/s aggregate, bi-directional PCIe bandwidth to the installed cards when connected to a Thunderbolt 5 computer port.
Echo III T5 Desktop houses one Echo III T5 module in a portable desktop enclosure and provides the same PCIe bandwidth to the installed cards. Its universal power supply is rated at 400W and offers a 75W auxiliary power connector for non-GPU cards that require extra power. Echo III T5 Desktop powers on and off automatically with the host computer to conserve energy, and provides a secondary Thunderbolt port with 15W power for an additional Thunderbolt or USB device.
Echo III T5 Rackmount is a rack-mounted enclosure furnished with one Echo III T5 Module that occupies half of the enclosure. The other half of the enclosure provides space for adding an Echo II DV T5 Module (two-slot, dual Thunderbolt 5 interface-to-PCIe card expansion system), a second Echo III T5 Module, or an xMac mini (2024+) Module that accommodates one or two Mac mini computers. Its universal power supply is rated at 400W. with 75W auxiliary PCIe power.
xMac mini (2024+)/Echo III T5 combines the Echo III T5 Module with Sonnet’s modular two RU rackmount expansion system for Mac mini computers. It provides secure mounting for one or two computers and three-card PCIe expansion using rear-panel thumbscrews. Both modules slide out through the front of the enclosure, providing easy access to the computers and installed PCIe cards. The system enables a user to connect or disconnect cables without removing the Mac minis from the computer mounting module and features dedicated front-panel power buttons for each Mac. As its name implies, the xMac mini (2024+)/Echo III T5 is compatible with Mac mini 2024+ models, and its universal power supply is rated at 400W.
xMac Studio/Echo III T5 is similar to the xMac mini (2024+)/Echo III T5, the main difference being that its three RU chassis is designed to accommodate a Mac Studio and is compatible with all Mac Studio models.
All Echo III T5 products are qualified by Avid Audio Group for use with Pro Tools | HDX PCIe cards. Suggested retail prices are as follows: Echo III T5 Module $1,099.99; Echo III T5 Desktop $1,199.99; Echo III T5 Rackmount $1,319.99; xMac mini (2024+)/Echo III T5 $1,799.99; xMac Studio/Echo III T5 $1799.99.
