Sonnet Echo 5 Thunderbolt 4 Hub – Creative COW Gear Review

Have Echo 5, will travel!

The 2022 NAB Show was a gas. So much to see, so many people to meet, and the COW News studio had to come with me.

Lightweight and small in size, the Sonnet Echo 5 Thunderbolt 4 Hub fit into my laptop case, and saved my bacon a couple of times.

In addition to the ability to connect to larger external storage devices through the three Thunderbolt 4 peripheral ports on the back of the Echo 5 Hub, Sonnet has placed a USB port on the front of the Echo 5. This meant that when a broadcasting techie handed me a USB flash drive containing their latest news and images, even though my MacBook Pro has no USB ports I was still able to download the information and upload the news to Creative COW during the show.

I was even able to power my podcasting light through one of the Echo 5’s USB ports when it was necessary to record a short video.

Days at the NAB show run long, and using my phone to map out booths among the three halls, communicate with clients, and meet up with friends, my battery began to die toward the end of each day. No problem! I sat at a table to work on my latest story, and was able to charge my phone through the Echo 5 Hub Thunderbolt 4 front port while I worked. I did not need to carry a power cord for my laptop either, because my laptop was able to charge through the computer charging port on the Echo 5, with up to 85 watts of charging power running through the Echo 5.

This device replaced many cords and adapters, and simplified my life so that I could relax and enjoy the show.

Back in the office, it’s more than just a travelling convenience. Sonnet has packed a lot of power into the Echo 5 Hub.

I can connect an external monitor to my laptop through the Hub’s Thunderbolt port, expanding my workspace and therefore extending the editing power of my M1 to a larger screen so that I get more done, faster. Sonnet’s Echo 5 also allows me to connect a mouse to my computer, which is far more comfortable for editing with my arthritic fingers.

For podcast recording, I can connect a microphone through the Echo 5, and clear up the clutter by having less cords.

Outside of my studio, and possibly in yours, the power of Sonnet’s Echo 5 Thunderbolt 4 is manifold.

The Echo 5 is compatible with all computers with Thunderbolt 4 ports; all M1, M2, M1 Pro, M1 Max and M1 Ultra Mac computers; all Mac computers with Thunderbolt 3 ports; and iPad Pro tablets with a Thunderbolt port.

Depending on your computer, Sonnet’s Echo 5 Thunderbolt 4 Hub supports up to two 5K displays or a single 4K, 5K, 6K, or 8K display.

Sonnet provides a Thunderbolt cable with the Echo 5 that is a super cable, with the ability to carry signals for video, audio, data, power, networking, and external PCI express. Sonnet’s Echo 5 Hub enables the connection of up to nine devices at once (including up to two displays) and charging a computer, all through this single cable.

Featuring four Thunderbolt 4 ports (three for peripheral device connection, one for connecting and charging the computer), the Echo 5 Thunderbolt 4 Hub provides users with the capability to connect three bus-powered Thunderbolt end devices at once, instead of limiting them to connecting multiple separately powered devices in a daisy chain.

In all, the hub’s Thunderbolt ports support up to five Thunderbolt peripherals.

For users with more USB than Thunderbolt peripherals, the Thunderbolt 4 ports do double duty — they support USB4® and USB 3 devices (including displays) when connected with the correct cable or adapter, even at the end of a Thunderbolt device chain. Sonnet designed its hub to provide up to 85 watts of power through its computer connection and charging port, enabling it to charge and power a much wider variety of computers at or near full power.

The Echo hub’s 10Gbps USB Type A charging port supports most USB peripherals, including superfast USB NVMe SSDs, at full speed, providing up to 7.5 watts of power to ensure bus-powered devices will operate without fail and can be used to charge a phone or tablet.

When used with an iPad Pro with a Thunderbolt port, the Echo hub provides users the same capability to connect multiple devices to their tablet at the same time, while also charging it at full power. Users may also connect a single (up to 6K) display to mirror the content on the iPad’s built-in display.

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