Sonnet to demo Thunderbolt 5 storage and expansion innovations at IBC

Broadcast Pro

4 days ago

The lineup demonstrates Sonnet's push to maximise Thunderbolt 5's bandwidth and capabilities across various computing environments.
At IBC2025, Sonnet will preview ultra-high-performance Thunderbolt 5 single- and multi-drive NVMe SSD storage devices. The single SSD solution will be a single-port, bus-powered device, while the multi-SSD solution will be a dual-port, self-powered device.
Sonnet will show its new Breakaway Box 850 T5 Thunderbolt 5 eGPU for Windows computers. Featuring a dual-port Thunderbolt 5 interface, this product offers double the PCIe bandwidth of any Thunderbolt 3 external GPU chassis to deliver PC-workstation-level graphics performance when used with Thunderbolt 4 and Thunderbolt 5 Windows laptop and small-form-factor computers. The Sonnet eGPU also includes an integrated Thunderbolt 5 hub, providing a downstream Thunderbolt 5 port, three 10Gbps USB Type A ports, and a 5Gb Ethernet port.
Sonnet will display its first next-generation Thunderbolt 5 docking station, Echo 13 Thunderbolt 5 SSD Dock. The Sonnet SSD dock features a choice of Thunderbolt certified PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs from Kingston Technology and includes four Thunderbolt 5 ports, three 10Gbps USB Type A ports, one 5Gbps USB Type A port, one 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet (RJ45) port, one 3.5 mm combo audio port, one SD 4.0 card slot, plus one microSD card slot. Available in 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB configurations, the new dock exploits Thunderbolt 5 bandwidth to support data transfers of up to 6,000 MBs when used with computers with Thunderbolt 5 ports, and up to 3,400 MB/s when used with computers with Thunderbolt 4 or USB4 ports.
Designed specifically for the broadcast and video post production markets, Sonnet will showcase its Echo II DV T5 Desktop and Echo II DV T5 Rackmount at IBC2025, Thunderbolt expansion systems that enable the use of two high-performance, bandwidth-hungry PCIe cards — such as DV I/O, NVMe SSD storage, and multiport 10Gb and 25Gb Ethernet adapters — at maximum performance at the same time. Echo II DV T5 systems are designed to provide full PCIe bandwidth to each slot (up to 6,000 MB/s).
Echo II DV T5 Desktop is a full-size desktop chassis, while Echo II DV T5 Rackmount features a rack-mountable 2U enclosure with space for an additional expansion module.
At the IBC2025 show, Sonnet will showcase its xMac mini (2024+)/Echo II DV T5 professional rackmount and Thunderbolt to PCIe card expansion systems for Apple Mac mini computers with M4 Pro processors. The Sonnet rackmount system fits in standard 19-inch equipment racks and provides access to the computers' front and back ports.
Designed for professional workflow expansion, xMac mini (2024+)/Echo II DV T5 securely holds one or two Mac mini computers plus an Echo II DV T5 Thunderbolt 5 to PCIe card expansion module that adds two card slots to one computer — or one slot to each computer — connecting them via two Thunderbolt cables. The Echo II DV T5 Module enables the use of two high-performance, bandwidth-hungry PCIe cards — such as DV I/O, NVMe SSD storage, and multiport 10Gb and 25Gb Ethernet adapters — at maximum performance at the same time (up to 6,000 MB/s PCIe bandwidth for each card). By employing separate Thunderbolt interfaces, the module is designed to provide full PCIe bandwidth to each slot when connected to two Thunderbolt ports on the computer, which also provides independent PCIe bandwidth to each Thunderbolt port.
At IBC 2025, Sonnet will display the newest model in its award-winning line of Thunderbolt to PCIe card expansion systems, Echo SE I T5. This compact Thunderbolt 5 expansion system houses one PCIe adapter card to add connectivity options and processing power to computers without card slots and connects it to the computer through a single Thunderbolt 5 cable. Accommodating one full-height, half-length+ card (up to 7.75 inches in length) plus a daughter card, this system supports high-performance non-GPU cards — including pro audio I/O and DSP cards, pro video capture and transcoding cards — with up to 6,000 MB/s bandwidth. The Echo SE I T5 includes an auxiliary power cable for cards requiring extra power and is compatible with M series and Thunderbolt 3 Mac computers, and Thunderbolt 5, Thunderbolt 4, and USB4 Windows and Linux computers.