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CalDigit TS5 Plus vs Sonnet Echo 11 Thunderbolt 4 Dock: Comparison

CalDigit TS5 Plus and Sonnet Echo 11 Thunderbolt 4 Dock separate most on total ports: CalDigit TS5 Plus at 20, Sonnet Echo 11 Thunderbolt 4 Dock at 11, 45% in favour of CalDigit TS5 Plus. Power Delivery splits them by another 36%, again favouring CalDigit TS5 Plus. They match on 11 other specifications, including ethernet, bus powered and video path.

CalDigit TS5 Plus (Thunderbolt 5 / 20 Ports / 140W Host Charging / Dual 8K@60Hz / 10GbE / ~$500)
CalDigitCalDigit TS5 Plus
Sonnet Echo 11 Thunderbolt 4 Dock (Thunderbolt 4 / 11 Ports / 90W Host Charging / Dual 4K@60Hz / Mac/Windows / ~$280)
SonnetSonnet Echo 11 Thunderbolt 4 Dock

Specs

Specification
CalDigit TS5 Plus (Thunderbolt 5 / 20 Ports / 140W Host Charging / Dual 8K@60Hz / 10GbE / ~$500)
CalDigit TS5 Plus
Sonnet Echo 11 Thunderbolt 4 Dock (Thunderbolt 4 / 11 Ports / 90W Host Charging / Dual 4K@60Hz / Mac/Windows / ~$280)
Sonnet Echo 11 Thunderbolt 4 Dock
Connection TypeThunderbolt 5Thunderbolt 4
Host InterfaceThunderbolt 5Thunderbolt 4
Port Configuration1x TB5 host, 2x TB5 downstream (80Gbps), 5x USB-C 10Gbps, 5x USB-A 10Gbps, DisplayPort 2.1, 10GbE, SD/microSD UHS-II, front/rear 3.5mm audio4x TB4 (1 host, 3 downstream), 3x USB-A 10Gbps, 1x USB-A 2.0, GbE, UHS-II SD card reader, 3.5mm combo audio
Thunderbolt Version54
Max Display SupportQuad 4KDual 4K
Max Display ResolutionSingle 8K (DSC); dual 6K@120Hz; quad 4K@144HzDual 4K@60Hz
Host Cable Length1 m0.8 m
Total Ports2011-45%
Power Delivery140 W90 W-36%
Host Power Delivery140 W90 W-36%
EthernetYesYes
External PSU Wattage330 W135 W
Bus PoweredNoNo
Video PathThunderbolt NativeThunderbolt Native
DisplayLink Driver RequiredNoNo
Max Displays Windows32
Max Displays Mac Base11
Max Displays Mac Pro Max42
HDMI Port Count00
HDMI VersionNoneNone
DisplayPort Port Count10
DisplayPort Version2.1None
Downstream Thunderbolt Port Count23
USB-A Port Count54
USB-C Data Port Count50
Max USB Data Rate10Gbps10Gbps
Ethernet Speed10GbE1GbE
SD Card SlotUHS-IIUHS-II
microSD Card SlotUHS-IINone
Audio Jack ConfigurationFront Combo Plus Rear In And OutSingle Combo
macOS SupportedYesYes
Windows SupportedYesYes
BrandCalDigitSonnet
ModelTS5 PlusEcho 11
Price~$500~$280
Source URLhttps://www.caldigit.com/thunderbolt-5-dock-ts5-plus/https://www.sonnettech.com/product/echo11-thunderbolt4-dock/techspecs.html

Verdict

CalDigit TS5 Plus

10 / 10 Expert Rating

Best overall Thunderbolt 5 dock — most ports, best charging, dual 8K@60Hz, and 10GbE for buyers who refuse to compromise.

Sonnet Echo 11 Thunderbolt 4 Dock

8 / 10 Expert Rating

A silent, studio-grade Thunderbolt 4 dock built by a company with a long pro-audio/video pedigree.

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