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Message: [QUOTE="Bombastus, post: 92149, member: 2178"] Audient specifies every Horizon interface as Thunderbolt 3 hardware, yet the company also states that the range is forward compatible with Thunderbolt 4 and 5. The important limitation sits elsewhere. Horizon is currently a macOS-only platform, regardless of which Thunderbolt generation appears on the computer. For anyone looking at the [B][URL='https://goldmidi.com/community/threads/audient-has-introduced-horizon-thunderbolt-3-interfaces.77487/']Audient Horizon Thunderbolt interface range[/URL][/B], the connector question is simpler than the model names make it sound. A recent Mac with a genuine Thunderbolt 4 or Thunderbolt 5 port can provide the host connection Horizon expects, while a plain USB-C socket cannot be assumed to do the same job. Compatibility therefore comes down to three separate checks. Your Mac needs Thunderbolt capability, the cable needs to carry Thunderbolt data, and the operating system needs Audient's Horizon driver support. [HEADING=2]Thunderbolt 4 and 5 keep the Horizon connection intact[/HEADING] Thunderbolt 4 was designed to remain compatible with Thunderbolt 3 accessories, and Thunderbolt 5 continues support for earlier Thunderbolt devices. Audient explicitly lists Horizon as forward compatible with both generations, so a newer Thunderbolt port does not make the interface obsolete. The interface does not become a Thunderbolt 4 or 5 device after connection. Horizon still uses its Thunderbolt 3 architecture and communicates within the capability of that device link. Buying a Mac with Thunderbolt 5 therefore does not magically give Horizon an 80 Gbps audio connection or alter its published latency. Apple's current Macs also make the naming less tidy than it first appears. Some models describe their ports as Thunderbolt 4, others use Thunderbolt 5, and earlier Apple silicon machines can list Thunderbolt or USB 4. Apple states that its Thunderbolt and USB 4 ports can accept Thunderbolt 3 devices where the model supports the protocol. The underlying transport is more than a connector shape. A [B][URL='https://patents.google.com/patent/US20140115192A1/en']patent describing bidirectional high-speed Thunderbolt transport[/URL][/B] describes the technology as combining PCI Express and DisplayPort traffic over a serial interface, which helps explain why a physically identical USB-C connector does not guarantee the same device support. [HEADING=2]A USB-C plug can still be the wrong connection[/HEADING] Thunderbolt 3 adopted the USB-C connector, but USB-C only describes the physical connector family. A port can accept the plug while lacking Thunderbolt capability entirely. The same trap exists with cables. A charging cable may fit a Horizon and a Mac perfectly while being unsuitable for the required data connection. Use a cable explicitly rated for Thunderbolt rather than choosing one because both ends are USB-C. The logo and cable specification matter more than the shape. This distinction becomes especially useful when troubleshooting a Horizon that powers up but never appears as an audio device. Start by confirming the exact Mac port in Apple's technical specifications, then confirm the cable carries Thunderbolt. Swapping DAW settings before checking those two pieces can waste an afternoon. Docks add another variable. Thunderbolt can support chained peripherals and certified Thunderbolt docks, but every extra device shares the host topology and can complicate fault-finding. A direct Mac-to-Horizon connection is the cleanest diagnostic setup when recognition, dropouts, or unexplained disconnects appear. [HEADING=2]macOS remains the hard compatibility boundary[/HEADING] The bigger surprise is Windows. A Windows workstation can have a fully certified Thunderbolt 4 or Thunderbolt 5 port and still fall outside Horizon support because Audient currently describes all three Horizon models as macOS only. Hardware compatibility and driver compatibility are separate gates. Thunderbolt can provide a valid physical transport while the operating system lacks the driver and control software needed to expose Horizon properly to the DAW. A matching socket does not override Audient's platform support. Audient also uses one unified macOS driver across the Horizon family. Up to four Horizon units can operate through that system, with the company advertising a maximum 200-input by 200-output configuration when four Horizon 32 units are combined. The newer Thunderbolt host generation does not change the basic driver model. Older Macs deserve a more careful check. Thunderbolt 3 appeared on Intel Macs years before Apple silicon, but Audient's current public Horizon product material emphasizes modern Mac integration without publishing a simple universal minimum macOS version beside the main compatibility claim. Anyone maintaining an older studio Mac should check the current Horizon download requirements before treating the presence of Thunderbolt 3 as sufficient. Cable choice deserves the same discipline after a computer upgrade. Moving from a Thunderbolt 3 Mac to a Thunderbolt 5 Mac does not force you to replace Horizon, but it also does not make every USB-C cable in the drawer valid. Horizon needs the Thunderbolt path, the macOS driver, and a host that supports both reliably. [/QUOTE]

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