This unit is also used in the RME Lab. The photo shows one of its typical applications, extension of a not-so-hot Dell laptop via its ExpressCard slot. Astonishingly this works really well in terms of performance, both channel count and latency. 2 MADI cards plus one RayDAT have been tested successfully (64+64+36=164 channels!), recorded on either an internal SSD drive or an external hard drive via the eSATA port. Typically it is used with one MADI card and one RayDAT inside.

The ExpressCard sits extremely solid in the slot, which must be the case as the cable is both thick and not very flexible. There is no hotplugging, trying this immediately crashes Windows. Seems quite logical, it simply doesn't expect to have a PCIe controller being removed during operation, especially as it seems to think this is an internal one. :-)

This means connect first then boot, shutdown then remove.

The fan is low noise and often stays unnoticed even when sitting beside the unit.

Here's a Turbobox Mini sitting on top of a Mac Pro... It only has one PCIe slot, but two slot openings, so it is ideal to fit a MADI card plus expansion, a Raydat, or the HDSPe AES... Haven't really tested performance yet, but I would expect it to work as well as the fullsize box...

This should work with the Raydat yes?

What happens with the PCIe devices in the box if you misplace the PCIe x4 target adapter into a different slot?

I work with a composer in LA and we have used both the smaller 3 slot and the larger 7 slot Nestor boxes running 2 raydat cards no problems at all (even when adding a UAD2 OCTO into the chassis as well as a esata I/O card.

Love their stuff, great company to deal with. They even can upgrade a PCI-e 3 slot to a Thunderbolt version for about $250 extra (We bought a coule of 3 slots then upgraded to 7 slots, so I'm taking one of the 3 slots and upgrading it for my Mac Book Pro).

So, no problems so far.

Now, I wonder if it will work with 3 RME Madi cards, the UAD-2 Octo, and the Esata.... any ideas RME?

George Leger III