Expert’s Rating
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
Thunderbolt 5 is the future for pro Macs , and this premium dockage station boasts four TB5 ports plus a built - in SSD of up to 4 TB .
Price When Reviewed
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On the left, Apple’s internal SSD pricing for its MacBook Pro at 2TB and 4TB, compared to 1TB, 2TB and 4TB prices for the Echo 13 Dock with built-in storage.
Best Pricing Today
Evwr since we tested it , our favored docking place for Mac has been the the Sonnet Echo 20 Thunderbolt 4 SuperDock . It has just about everything : 19 top - end port , 2.5Gb Ethernet , and a slot to add your own SSD drive to discreetly hike your MacBook ’s internal storage without a big boxful hanging out the back .
Sonnet has now released its superintendent - dock for Thunderbolt 5 : The Echo 13 Thunderbolt 5 SSD Dock . It has drip the “ SuperDock ” moniker but it ’s even more first-rate than its predecessor .
On the left, Apple’s internal SSD pricing for its MacBook Pro at 2TB and 4TB, compared to 1TB, 2TB and 4TB prices for the Echo 13 Dock with built-in storage.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Echo 13 Thunderbolt 5 SSD Dock: Specs and features
Any tying up station has to be judged first and firstly on the ports and feature that it offers the connected laptop / background / iPad Prouser .
The Sonnet Echo 13 does n’t have as many ports as the TB4 SuperDock , and , just as the Echo 20 had 19 ports , the Echo 13 has 12 ports , not include the power porthole .
Echo 13 Thunderbolt 5 SSD Dock: Thunderbolt speeds
When Thunderbolt elbowed Thunderbolt 3 out of the way in 2020 , Mac user could be forgiven for shrug their shoulder joint with its top - end data - transfer speed staying at 40Gbps . In many ways , Thunderbolt 4 was a authentication raise for Windows computers . Apple ’s Intel - certify Thunderbolt 3 had most of what TB4 bring in to the party , with a few pro benefits thrown in ( i.e. , supporting for dual 4 K exhibit or one 8 K showing ) .
Thunderbolt 5 , on the other hand , is a right update for all user , supercharge data speeds to bi - directing 80Gbps and up to 120Gbps in boost mode for high show bandwidth . That means much faster data transfer of training between devices and your Mac equate to Thunderbolt 4 . TB5 has a mandate gamey tycoon delivery ( to a laptop ) of at least 140W ( up from 100W ) with sustenance for up to 240W ( vs 140W ) .
The Echo 13 can power your MacBook at 140W ( PD 3.1 ) , which is enough to fast - charge the top - end 16 - inch MacBook Pro via its upstream horde TB5 port . The front - face downstream Thunderbolt 5 port can bear down at a powerful 60W , and the two back - mounted downstream TB5 ports can charge at 15W. Thunderbolt 5 also substantiate three 4 K , 144Hz displays on Mac , compare to TB4 ’s base two 4 K displays at 60Hz .
You ’ll need a Mac with Thunderbolt 5 to get the best value — available on theM4 Pro / Max MacBook Pro , M4 Pro Mac mini , andMac Studio — but as it is back compatible with Thunderbolt 4 and sooner , buy a TB 5 loading dock now will hereafter - proof you for your next Mac leverage .
Echo 13 Thunderbolt 5 SSD Dock: Design
While made from plastic , the sleek , black horizontal Sonnet Echo 13 look impressive — maybe not as high - end as docks in metal casings , but still effective enough next to your Mac . On the front , there ’s a handy ability button so you do n’t need to jerk out the Thunderbolt 5 cable’s length when impart your laptop overnight . Next to that are indicator lights to show when the sorrel is tie to a reckoner and when it is powered .
All the port are intelligibly labeled , which is appreciated . The upstream Thunderbolt 5 port wine is on the front , which is not our preference as we care it hidden at the back , but this setup might suit others . A downstream Thunderbolt 5 port — with 60W charging power — sits next to the innkeeper port , follow by a 10Gbps USB - A port . The two card readers for portable memory are handily range on the front , as is the headset squat .
Around the back , there is a row of three legacy USB - A port — one at 5Gbps and two at 10Gbps — and then the 2.5 G Ethernet . Two more downstream Thunderbolt 5 port round off the back panel . There ’s also a slot for a Kensington Security Lock on the side and anti - slip rubber foot at the bottom . There are air vents at the top of the dock , which keep back it cool during our tests .
Echo 13 Thunderbolt 5 SSD Dock: USB ports
Thunderbolt 5 is more speed than most machine need , which is why the dock come with a clustering of standard USB interface as well . There are n’t any USB - C ports since the Thunderbolt ports are compatible with all eccentric - C connective , but there are four legacy USB - A ports , which is plenty in today ’s USB - deoxycytidine monophosphate public . We would have preferred a couple of those USB - A ports to be USB - C , but there are enough data point and charging choice here to satisfy most apparatus .
Simon Jary / Foundry
Power is supply to the connected laptop at 140W. With a maximal 180W available from the outside power provision , you wo n’t get the full 140W plus the generous 60W from the neighboring downstream TB5 port but potentially both of the other two TB5 ports at 15W each . A higher - powered mightiness supply would have been preferred as no dubiety the sour grass itself including the SSD storage will require some juice itself in normal operation .
Echo 13 Thunderbolt 5 SSD Dock: Display options
you’re able to connect up to two external displays via the Echo 13 Dock . There are no dedicated DisplayPort or HDMI port wine , so if your monitor requires either of these two video recording connectors you ’ll require to purchase a USB - C adapter overseas telegram . If you own a USB - speed of light admonisher , you’re able to connect directly with one of the downstream TB port .
On the TB4 Echo 20 Sonnet dropped one of the possible downstream TB4 port for an HDMI 2.1 port , but keeping the Echo 13 at three downstream TB5 ports hand the drug user more tractableness . A modern multi - monitor frame-up requires only one Thunderbolt 5 port , thanks to Thunderbolt 5 ’s eminent bandwidth and the ability of modern monitor to daisy strand and unite the extra monitor via a Thunderbolt output signal on the monitor itself .
Foundry
On the left, Apple’s internal SSD pricing for its MacBook Pro at 2TB and 4TB, compared to 1TB, 2TB and 4TB prices for the Echo 13 Dock with built-in storage.
Echo 13 Thunderbolt 5 SSD Dock: Super-fast storage options
One of the primary merchandising points of this Thunderbolt 5 dock is its built - in SSD storage . This is desegregate rather than being a slot that you add your own SSD to , as was found in the Echo 20 .
Sonnet offers SSDs at 1 TB , 2 TB or 4 TB . Being able-bodied to fit your own SSD credibly would have been a cheaper option but let ’s not kvetch because this internal storage is not just gimcrack than buy a Mac with a gamy - content cause from Apple , which would turn on you an extra $ 400 for a 2 TB internal SSD or $ 1,000 for 4 TB . The SSD is exFAT - formatted for cross - platform use . If you require it in a different data formatting , it ’s easy to reformat yourself using the Mac’sDisk Utility .
If you do trust the extra repositing you are in for a treat . The SSD is blindingly tight — much quicker than you ’d get with an outside SSD . My colleaguePCWorld ’s Mark Hachman examine the Echo 13 , and recorded a sequential read performance of 3,977MBps , almost double the read public presentation of 2,036MBps from his Lexar SL600 external 20Gbps SSD . When copying a folder of raw multimedia files from the SSD to the desktop , he read a copying time of just under 14 seconds—78 percent faster than the previous good time he ’d go out for this test , which was over a second .
Thomas Berghold from our German baby siteMacweltused Aja System Test Lite to valuate an impressive 5,331MBps write and 5,822MBps read in the 4 K tryout . compare to the speeds we ’ve mensurate for other internal storage devices in docking station , this class - leading performance .
couple with its 180W power supply the Echo 13 is n’t especially portable , so what you store on that SSD is n’t going with you when you disconnect the MacBook from the pier . It ’s great for musical accompaniment , archiving , and for prominent files you do n’t need with you on the road .
LaCie
With an outside Lacie Rugged SSD Pro 5 , we assess 6,094MBps read and 4,013MBps write . That ’s only slenderly slower than the 6,172MBps read and 4,374MBps write directly on the Mac .
A test with the OWC Express 1M2 , our fast USB 4 testing drive , give in 3,274MBps read and 3,132MBps drop a line . Directly on the Mac , it ’s 3,665MBps take and 3,257MBps write .
The Echo 13 features just both Mount Rushmore State and microSD card reader for portable storage , an betterment on the SD - only Echo 20 . Both are of the fast UHS - II variety . Measured with an OWC Atlas Ultra from our retentivity card test , the speeds here are also very in force , with 292MBps for reading and 275MBps for composition .
Echo 13 Thunderbolt 5 SSD Dock: Network speeds
While most internet are still rated at the received 1Gb ( Gigabit ) Ethernet , more modern mesh are much quicker at 2.5Gb , 5Gb or even 10Gb speeds .
The Echo 13 ’s Ethernet interface is rated at 2.5Gb , so a big speed start on most docking station and hubs , but not the very fastest if your meshwork is at the cutting edge .
If you are still on Gigabit Ethernet , fear not as quick versions are back compatible .
Echo 13 Thunderbolt 5 SSD Dock: Price
Sonnet does n’t offer a model of the Echo 13 without a built - in SSD so if you really do n’t need extra storage or prefer a portable resolution you may be overpaying for just the dock itself . But who does n’t need more storage , even if just for multiple backups ?
The 1 TB model costs$400 , 2 TB is priced at$500 , and 4 TB at$700 . While pricier than docks without an SSD , the spare you give for such dissolute storage makes it a cracking investment . At the clock time of writing price in the U.K. were higher . See our price comparison box for the late bouncy prices .
Sonnet’sEcho 20 Thunderbolt 4 docking stationis brassy at$300 , but you ’ll ask to add your own SSD card . The Echo 13 might be less flexible but it is significantly faster . For other alternatives , read our roundup of thebest Thunderbolt docks for Mac .
Should you buy an Echo 13 Thunderbolt 5 SSD Dock:
We are delighted that Sonnet followed its great SSD - pack Thunderbolt 4 dockage with this pro - plane Thunderbolt 5 model . There are plenty of differences but the master benefit rest — including the ( very fast ) internal warehousing — and are topped up with the much quicker Thunderbolt 5 data speeding and power livery .
Even if you do n’t yet own a Thunderbolt 5 computing gadget or many twist , buying this tops - speedy premium dockage will future - proof you for when you do .
Additional testing by Mark Hachman and Thomas Bergbold .
