Hi, I have a 2020 macbook air and an apollo twin x and I want to buy the owc hub to have more ports. But my question is, is the audio quality the same with the hub involved? I mean connecting my apollo to the hub and then go to the mac.
I have mine hooked up to my MacBook Pro because I use it for wired Internet and also some hard drives. Is it a problem that it’s constantly plugged into my MacBook Pro and delivering power to the battery? I have battery management on but my concern is it it’s just charging the battery all the time and killing it
That's right! Keeping a battery always fully charged isn't a good idea. Apple claims their software management keeps track of the problem and handles very well in this case. But since we all know, a Battery is best kept between 40-80 % charge. There are plenty of programs out there that do the job. For Macs, it's a third party app called "Aldente" that manages the charge.
Thank you for making this video. It helped me to understand to plug in the USB-C port with computer picture to my computer. I wasn’t doing this before and was frustrated when my display wasn’t working. When I connected things correctly thanks to you; it fixed all my issues and made me very grateful to finally have this interesting to hub to help expand the very limited number of ports that my M1 Mac came with. Thank you!
I have owned one of the OWC hubs for over a year, and like most people I have a specific use case for it. I travel extensively for photography, and make nightly backups for the images I shot during the day. I take this hub with me, and use it as a home base hub with 3x external 5tb travel HDD's (Seagate Basic Portable Drives) attached for backup, plus the power to my MacBook Air. The only drawback is the weight & cumbersome nature of the power supply, but it is workable. This setup makes is fast & convenient, and more importantly has allowed me to not have to spend a significant amount on buying a 14" or 16" MBP.
I agree, it’s generally a specific problem that a hub like this solves. I honestly wish I had purchased it a while ago, i was just in a Mac funk last year but getting out of it recently 😎 sounds like you have a good setup going there. And yeah, the power brick is annoying, unfortunately it’s a necessary evil with the PD requirements.
Can I connect it to an iMac ? I wanted to buy the razor dock for my 2019 iMac but the store said it will not work. Because you can't split thunderbolt 3. And that's weird because its advertised on the product and also on this one for example so I'm not really sure what to do
Looks great but how do you maintain battery life on a MacBook when plugged in all the time. I have a hub so I can use two screens, printer etc but have found my battery life has been absolutely destroyed by being plugged in. It is down to about 2 hours of video now.
Hello, thank's for this great overview. I do appreciate. I am interested in OWC thunderbolt 3 or 4 HUB. I just wonder about one connection. Does USB 3.2 Gen. 2 of this docking station support the Mac mini 2. The Mac mini 2 has USB A 5Gb/s or the Thunderbolt 4 (USB 3.1 2e gen 10 gb/sec) The Mac mini 2 has no USB 3.2 Gen. 2 Hope to hear from you. Your answer makes me decide to buy or not. greetings Richard
For whatever reason this does NOT seem to support a Pro Display XDR and a Thunderbay 8. I'm not sure why. If both are connected to the hub when I boot the machine, the Pro Display XDR is blank.
Can this hub connect and power Apple Pro Display XDR at 6K? I am planning to share my XDR with the on-order Mac Studio with my current Mc Pro 2019. Many thanks.
Hey, glad to see someone using this with an Apollo. Was wondering if you (or anyone) might know if I could connect my Apollo rack unit to this hub and my windows CPU to the USB-A port. Will these two devices be able to communicate well? Only using the Win CPU for gaming. I have my separate Mac for music production. Any insight would be appreciated.
Although my reply is probably too late for you, maybe it will help others. I bought this to connect my UAD2/Sonnet Pcie thunderbolt chassis. Works perfectly for that so I assume to would work for the Apollo.
Any idea how much bandwidth the Apollo actually uses? I have an Arrow and love that it plugs with a physical type c connector but hate that has to be thunderbolt 3
I'd be interested in knowing as well. That's long been a point of frustration due to lack of ports. This solves that issue, but yeah, I don't imagine it's THAT much.
It also fixes the USB ports on the XDR Display so they go from USB 2.0 to USB 3.0 speeds on a Mac Pro 2019. Had it for a year. Great device. See my video on it here: ua-cam.com/video/6fcc8nD86yk/v-deo.html
Agreed, especially great for my M1 MacBook Air - except for the horribly, horrendously bright, very distracting logo beacon on top. I set a card reader on top of it. Oh, and I do find, like other hubs, the usb-c connections in the back can allow those awkward disconnect/connect occurrences if one doesn't plug in with a little twist to the cable for pressure.
@@9to5MacSomehow I missed the paper-clip trick when I got it. Meant to mention that in my comment but somehow didn't - dim isn't great but it is tolerable. I power the laptop thru the hub so it is always powered - gives me an extra direct thunderbolt port. And my 2017 high end iMac rebels at connecting the number of usb devices the M1 will tolerate. Your videos are always helpful.
That's probably waaaaay too niche. But in a nutshell, I just set a Macro with VIA to use the shortcut to control the monitor volume. Feel free to DM me if you need more info.
@@9to5Mac so you did a macro of cmd+F10 for mute? cmd+F11/12 for volume down/up? I saw that in their forums for the shortcut keys for it. Also found out.... I'm using Luna software and not console directly... So not key command as of yet 😭
Razer Thunderbolt 4 Dock Chroma… best TB Dock, hands down. 3 USB-C Thunderbolt 3 Ports + 3 USB-A USB 3.1 ports! Aluminum chassis, perfect fit for any Mac. 320€ but truly worth it! 🖥
Interesting…. Pretty steep price difference for two additional A ports…. But I guess the RGB may be worth it for some setups? I will have to check this out. Thanks for sharing!
Hey quick question, are you using an iMac or MacBook? I wanted to buy it for my 2019 iMac but the store said it will not work. Because you can't split thunderbolt 3. And that's weird because its advertised on the product and also on this one for example
@@9to5Mac Thanks. The additional USB ports make that a one stop shop for plugging in a MacBook Pro and using it as a desktop, with a decent keyboard and mouse.
why is nobody showing the actual power supply? I'm looking for a mobile thunderbolt hub and would you think anyone would ever show the size of the power supply? it's absurd... the manufacturers dont show it neither does any youtube review...
Bought it after watching this video. It is really crappy. Constantly losing connection, some drives have a hard time connecting. The usb-c ports do not have a firm grip on the cables, so when I move my laptop I often loose the connection to the hub. Had to return it for a refund.
Are you serious? You purchased the exact same one as in this video? Sorry to hear that. I didn't experience any of that at all. Mine has been solid, and I really push this thing more than the average person probably does. Maybe you got a lemon?
Ben, love your videos as always, thanks. This is not the right choice. Check the the Caldigit Thunderbolt 4 Element Hub, this is the real deal! It’s almost same price or few dollars/ pounds more. It gives you 3 thunderbolt 4 (not 3) ports. It gives you 4x USB 3.1 Gen 2! Yes real 10Gbps on 4 USB A ports. It has better rating and it really changes your life, forever. I spent a month reviewing, buying and returning hubs as I needed to run 2 monitors on my M1 Pro MacBook Pro and my Mac Mini. And I’m so happy with this hub for about a month. It’s made of aluminum so great for heat dissipation. I plug a normal USB C hub to get the gigabit Ethernet, audio and extra USB 3 ports for slower devices, or even an HDMI. It’s even better, smaller and more generous with high speed ports than the famous king, the Caldigit TS3! You’re welcome :)
@@SoundOfYourDestiny Course. Typing on virtual keyboard on iPhone at night with autocorrect turned on, lol. I should’ve checked it before sending. Corrected. Thanks.
Honestly, the CalDigit thunderbolt 4 hub for the money is better. It gives you more TB4 ports making it functionally more useful than what OWC has to offer.
OWC makes a TB4 dock that’s similar to the Caldigit one: 4x TB4 ports (one is uplink), 3x USB3.2g2, 1x USB2.0, 1x Ethernet, 1x headphone, SD reader. Works great have had it for a year now
Bro started the video off with “I finally broke down” 😂
Hi, I have a 2020 macbook air and an apollo twin x and I want to buy the owc hub to have more ports. But my question is, is the audio quality the same with the hub involved? I mean connecting my apollo to the hub and then go to the mac.
Have had the OWC Thunderbolt Hub close to a year. Absolutely fantastic device.
I have mine hooked up to my MacBook Pro because I use it for wired Internet and also some hard drives. Is it a problem that it’s constantly plugged into my MacBook Pro and delivering power to the battery? I have battery management on but my concern is it it’s just charging the battery all the time and killing it
That's right! Keeping a battery always fully charged isn't a good idea. Apple claims their software management keeps track of the problem and handles very well in this case. But since we all know, a Battery is best kept between 40-80 % charge. There are plenty of programs out there that do the job. For Macs, it's a third party app called "Aldente" that manages the charge.
Thank you for making this video. It helped me to understand to plug in the USB-C port with computer picture to my computer. I wasn’t doing this before and was frustrated when my display wasn’t working. When I connected things correctly thanks to you; it fixed all my issues and made me very grateful to finally have this interesting to hub to help expand the very limited number of ports that my M1 Mac came with. Thank you!
Hi 9to5, bit late to the party here, but is that power cord to the wall socket have the 3 pin IEC plug on the PSU end? It does look like that @8:32
Cover that light with gaffers tape.
Love the awesome set up!
I have owned one of the OWC hubs for over a year, and like most people I have a specific use case for it. I travel extensively for photography, and make nightly backups for the images I shot during the day. I take this hub with me, and use it as a home base hub with 3x external 5tb travel HDD's (Seagate Basic Portable Drives) attached for backup, plus the power to my MacBook Air. The only drawback is the weight & cumbersome nature of the power supply, but it is workable. This setup makes is fast & convenient, and more importantly has allowed me to not have to spend a significant amount on buying a 14" or 16" MBP.
I agree, it’s generally a specific problem that a hub like this solves. I honestly wish I had purchased it a while ago, i was just in a Mac funk last year but getting out of it recently 😎 sounds like you have a good setup going there. And yeah, the power brick is annoying, unfortunately it’s a necessary evil with the PD requirements.
Can I connect it to an iMac ? I wanted to buy the razor dock for my 2019 iMac but the store said it will not work. Because you can't split thunderbolt 3. And that's weird because its advertised on the product and also on this one for example so I'm not really sure what to do
Looks great but how do you maintain battery life on a MacBook when plugged in all the time. I have a hub so I can use two screens, printer etc but have found my battery life has been absolutely destroyed by being plugged in. It is down to about 2 hours of video now.
I have the same question
Is it backwards compatible with TB2 macs using the TB2 to TB3 adapter?
Hello, thank's for this great overview. I do appreciate. I am interested in OWC thunderbolt 3 or 4 HUB.
I just wonder about one connection.
Does USB 3.2 Gen. 2 of this docking station support the Mac mini 2.
The Mac mini 2 has USB A 5Gb/s or the Thunderbolt 4 (USB 3.1 2e gen 10 gb/sec)
The Mac mini 2 has no USB 3.2 Gen. 2
Hope to hear from you. Your answer makes me decide to buy or not.
greetings
Richard
For whatever reason this does NOT seem to support a Pro Display XDR and a Thunderbay 8. I'm not sure why. If both are connected to the hub when I boot the machine, the Pro Display XDR is blank.
How does it compare to the Belkin thunderbolt 4 Dock? $175 on Chinese Taobao.
Only 2 thunderbolt ports but 170W input compared to 110W on OWC
People are saying the sockets are too loose. Do you agree - any problem there?
What type of webcam is that?
Can this hub connect and power Apple Pro Display XDR at 6K? I am planning to share my XDR with the on-order Mac Studio with my current Mc Pro 2019. Many thanks.
Its a catch 22 with that light logo feature. How are you supposed to know if its working and turned on? This is a valid question.
You’ll know if you see your devices connected in macOS? Alternatively, just put the light on the low setting.
Keep up th great work
Hey, glad to see someone using this with an Apollo.
Was wondering if you (or anyone) might know if I could connect my Apollo rack unit to this hub and my windows CPU to the USB-A port. Will these two devices be able to communicate well? Only using the Win CPU for gaming. I have my separate Mac for music production. Any insight would be appreciated.
Although my reply is probably too late for you, maybe it will help others. I bought this to connect my UAD2/Sonnet Pcie thunderbolt chassis. Works perfectly for that so I assume to would work for the Apollo.
BTW, have you tried the Teenage Engineering gear?
At first I thought this was your first HDR video, but I guess I had my phone set to Power Saver mode when I watched the others.
Yeah, we've HDR'd all the things for some time now.
Can charge the MacBook Pro?
Damn I made a tailor-made sticker to hide the LED just to learn here we could turn it off with that hidden button! Thanks!
Can this hub connect 2 4k monitor
I have a version with firewire and lightpipe ADAT, trully amazing hub
Why buy this kind of hub that need power source where those doesn't need still provide same or even more amount of ports?
Any idea how much bandwidth the Apollo actually uses? I have an Arrow and love that it plugs with a physical type c connector but hate that has to be thunderbolt 3
I'd be interested in knowing as well. That's long been a point of frustration due to lack of ports. This solves that issue, but yeah, I don't imagine it's THAT much.
It also fixes the USB ports on the XDR Display so they go from USB 2.0 to USB 3.0 speeds on a Mac Pro 2019. Had it for a year. Great device. See my video on it here: ua-cam.com/video/6fcc8nD86yk/v-deo.html
Agreed, especially great for my M1 MacBook Air - except for the horribly, horrendously bright, very distracting logo beacon on top. I set a card reader on top of it. Oh, and I do find, like other hubs, the usb-c connections in the back can allow those awkward disconnect/connect occurrences if one doesn't plug in with a little twist to the cable for pressure.
Ah, so you must power up and power down the hub, so you can’t take advantage of the logo light toggle?
@@9to5MacSomehow I missed the paper-clip trick when I got it. Meant to mention that in my comment but somehow didn't - dim isn't great but it is tolerable. I power the laptop thru the hub so it is always powered - gives me an extra direct thunderbolt port. And my 2017 high end iMac rebels at connecting the number of usb devices the M1 will tolerate. Your videos are always helpful.
Hi great video! Interested in comparing OWC's Thunderbolt hub to our latest TB4 mini dock?😎
Video on knob to UAD volume control?
That's probably waaaaay too niche. But in a nutshell, I just set a Macro with VIA to use the shortcut to control the monitor volume. Feel free to DM me if you need more info.
@@9to5Mac so you did a macro of cmd+F10 for mute? cmd+F11/12 for volume down/up? I saw that in their forums for the shortcut keys for it.
Also found out.... I'm using Luna software and not console directly... So not key command as of yet 😭
Razer Thunderbolt 4 Dock Chroma… best TB Dock, hands down.
3 USB-C Thunderbolt 3 Ports + 3 USB-A USB 3.1 ports! Aluminum chassis, perfect fit for any Mac. 320€ but truly worth it! 🖥
Interesting…. Pretty steep price difference for two additional A ports…. But I guess the RGB may be worth it for some setups? I will have to check this out. Thanks for sharing!
Ah just checked, so this is a full-on dock. In that case, the price isn’t bad.
Hey quick question, are you using an iMac or MacBook? I wanted to buy it for my 2019 iMac but the store said it will not work. Because you can't split thunderbolt 3. And that's weird because its advertised on the product and also on this one for example
Hey guys! its been a while! please make more mac pro content !!
I wish they had this, but with more USB A ports and a higher wattage power supply.
CalDigit makes one with 4 USB-A ports. amzn.to/3FHTgyN but you can’t get away from the power brick 🤣
@@9to5Mac Thanks. The additional USB ports make that a one stop shop for plugging in a MacBook Pro and using it as a desktop, with a decent keyboard and mouse.
why is nobody showing the actual power supply? I'm looking for a mobile thunderbolt hub and would you think anyone would ever show the size of the power supply? it's absurd... the manufacturers dont show it neither does any youtube review...
Because it's ugly and HUGE ... ;)
Nice video ji
Fun fact: Ventura can't read The OWC Thunderbolt Hub. Mac OS is ridiculous
Bought it after watching this video. It is really crappy. Constantly losing connection, some drives have a hard time connecting. The usb-c ports do not have a firm grip on the cables, so when I move my laptop I often loose the connection to the hub. Had to return it for a refund.
Are you serious? You purchased the exact same one as in this video? Sorry to hear that. I didn't experience any of that at all. Mine has been solid, and I really push this thing more than the average person probably does. Maybe you got a lemon?
Ben, love your videos as always, thanks.
This is not the right choice. Check the the Caldigit Thunderbolt 4 Element Hub, this is the real deal!
It’s almost same price or few dollars/ pounds more. It gives you 3 thunderbolt 4 (not 3) ports.
It gives you 4x USB 3.1 Gen 2! Yes real 10Gbps on 4 USB A ports.
It has better rating and it really changes your life, forever.
I spent a month reviewing, buying and returning hubs as I needed to run 2 monitors on my M1 Pro MacBook Pro and my Mac Mini. And I’m so happy with this hub for about a month. It’s made of aluminum so great for heat dissipation. I plug a normal USB C hub to get the gigabit Ethernet, audio and extra USB 3 ports for slower devices, or even an HDMI.
It’s even better, smaller and more generous with high speed ports than the famous king, the Caldigit TS3!
You’re welcome :)
Thanks for the heads-up. Also: you + are = you're.
@@SoundOfYourDestiny Course. Typing on virtual keyboard on iPhone at night with autocorrect turned on, lol. I should’ve checked it before sending. Corrected. Thanks.
217 Domingo Mews
Your monitor is much more expensive than your Macbook and Mac Mini.
Honestly, the CalDigit thunderbolt 4 hub for the money is better. It gives you more TB4 ports making it functionally more useful than what OWC has to offer.
OWC makes a TB4 dock that’s similar to the Caldigit one: 4x TB4 ports (one is uplink), 3x USB3.2g2, 1x USB2.0, 1x Ethernet, 1x headphone, SD reader. Works great have had it for a year now
That is not “fairly tidy”
Shiny