Sonnet Announces Avid PCIe Support for Echo Express Pro Thunderbolt Expansion Chassis

Sonnet Technologies today announced that the Echo™ Express Pro Thunderbolt™ Expansion Chassis for PCIe® Cards now supports Avid® Pro Tools|HDX PCIe cards. The Echo Express Pro enables the use of two full-size, high-performance PCI Express® expansion cards with any computer with a Thunderbolt port — including the latest Apple® iMac®, Mac® mini, MacBook Air®, and MacBook Pro® models.

A supplementary connector has been added to the Echo Express Pro to connect power cables between the chassis and PCIe cards that require additional power, including the Avid card. With this Thunderbolt technology-based product plus the purchase of a Sonnet-exclusive power cable kit that supports one or two Pro Tools|HDX PCIe cards, Mac users are no longer limited to a Mac Pro®-based workflow in order to exploit the tremendous capabilities of Pro Tools|HDX2.

Today's ultra-light notebooks, mini, and all-in-one desktop computers now have tremendous processing power, close to that found in full-size desktop computers such as the Mac Pro. Although their portability and compactness are highly desirable, these smaller computers lack expansion slots to install specialty cards, designed for use in desktop computers, to connect various audio and video inputs. Sonnet's Echo Express Pro solves this problem by connecting two PCIe expansion slots to any computer with a Thunderbolt port to enable the use of compatible PCI Express expansion cards.

"The Echo Express Pro has transformed the workflows of large numbers of working pros in the audio and video industries," said Robert Farnsworth, CEO of Sonnet Technologies. "With this Thunderbolt expansion chassis updated to support auxiliary power requirements, and the availability of our custom power cable kit for the Pro Tools|HDX PCIe card, Pro Tool users will gain the ability to travel light and work in places and ways never before possible."

The Echo Express Pro — part number ECHO-EXP2F — which supports Pro Tools|HDX cards, will be available Jan. 30, at a suggested retail price of $799 through Sonnet, and later through Sonnet resellers. The Pro Tools|HDX PCIe power adapter cable for Echo Express Pro — part number TCB-HDX — will be available Jan. 30, at a suggested retail price of $29.95 through Sonnet, and later through Sonnet resellers. Attendees of the 2013 NAAM Show can see the Echo Express Pro with the AVID Pro Tools|HDX PCIe card at Sonnet's booth 7620.

More information about the Echo Express Pro and the Pro Tools|HDX PCIe power adapter cable kit for Echo Express Pro is available at http://www.sonnettech.com/product/echoexpresschassis.html.