# Thunderbolt 2 to Thunderbolt 3 USB-C adaptor



## P3TAAL (Aug 10, 2020)

Hi 

Can anyone recommend a reasonable priced adaptor to go from Thunderbolt 2 to Thunderbolt 3 USB-C. 
Just bought a new iMac & I have a Focusrite Clarett which uses TB2. 

Thanks


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## Rory (Aug 10, 2020)

Apple's own adapter isn't cheap, but it works perfectly.


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## P3TAAL (Aug 10, 2020)

Rory said:


> Apple's own adapter isn't cheap, but it works perfectly.



Thanks, Yes I'll get it if I have to but £49 seems a bit expenses,

Cheers


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## jononotbono (Aug 10, 2020)

The Apple adapter works faultlessly. Seems like a lot of money but it’s stable and built well. Dare I say it but it’s worth the money.


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## P3TAAL (Aug 10, 2020)

jononotbono said:


> The Apple adapter works faultlessly. Seems like a lot of money but it’s stable and built well. Dare I say it but it’s worth the money.



I suppose its better than buying an inferior product and having to buy twice!


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## GtrString (Aug 10, 2020)

You have to buy the Apple as that is the only adapter that works both ways.


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## jononotbono (Aug 10, 2020)

Yes, it’s a TB3 adapter which means it can take TB3 and USBC. If you have a USBC adapter it will not work with TB3. They are different protocols despite sharing the same physical connector. TB3 is also 40gbs and USBC is 20gbs


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## MisteR (Aug 10, 2020)

Apple.


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## jbuhler (Aug 10, 2020)

I’ve heard nothing but grief from folks who try to use non-Apple adapters for TB2 to TB3 (or vice versa). Evidently the generic TB3/USB-C to mini-DisplayPort dongle works pretty well for that particular functionality.


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## Michael Antrum (Aug 10, 2020)

Will this adapter allow me to plug in my Apollo Twin TB1 interface into a TB3 port on my laptop ?


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## P3TAAL (Sep 1, 2020)

Guess what? I ordered an apple adaptor and after a few days use it has stopped working. 
Unfortunately I ordered through amazon who can be a pain to return things to.

I have now ordered another but this time direct from apple,


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## PeterBaumann (Sep 1, 2020)

I'm using the Startech adapter with my Clarett 8Pre Thunderbolt 2 interface and Macbook Pro. Overall it's been good, just the below issue to keep in mind:

The order in which the devices are connected is very important with this adapter. I've found the only way to get them all to communicate properly is to do the following:

Turn on MacBook Pro
Turn on Clarett 8Pre (Thunderbolt 2 cable can already be connected to the interface at this point)
Connect other end of TB2 cable to StarTech adapter
Connect StarTech adapter to MacBook Pro

If I restart the MacBook Pro with everything connected already, I think it works fine, it's just if you turn off the interface/connect it whilst the MacBook is already on, there seems to be a handshake issue. I'm not sure if it's an Apple issue, Focusrite firmware issue, or something odd with the adapter itself. I spoke to Startech Support about this and they were excellent but also confused as to why this order is the only one that works, or why it's needed in the first place.


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## P3TAAL (Sep 1, 2020)

Wow. nearly £70 for the startech adaptor on Amazon. 

I think ill stick with the apple one for now and as i ordered direct from apple should be less of an issue if there is a fault.


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## PeterBaumann (Sep 1, 2020)

Yeah, I paid £65 for it in 2018 and at the time it was a toss-up between that and the Apple adapter. I think the Apple one is reversible, too, whilst the Startech one isn't. At the time, the reviews for the Apple one were pretty poor which is why I went for it.


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## rnb_2 (Sep 1, 2020)

P3TAAL said:


> Guess what? I ordered an apple adaptor and after a few days use it has stopped working.
> Unfortunately I ordered through amazon who can be a pain to return things to.
> 
> I have now ordered another but this time direct from apple,



Interesting to see how different countries' experiences with companies differ - in the US, Amazon is the easiest company to return things to. There are even stores that will do Amazon returns where you don't even need to package the return yourself or even bring a box, just show a QR code and you get your refund as soon as Amazon sees that the item has been shipped.


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## Symfoniq (Sep 1, 2020)

Agreed that the Apple adapter "just works."

I've had one in my laptop bag for a while now, knowing that I'd eventually need one, even if I couldn't predict when.

It came to the rescue a few days ago when a brand-new 16" MacBook Pro went down, and at the last minute, we needed another Mac to handle footage coming off a Thunderbolt 3-equipped Blackmagic UltraStudio 4K. I pulled my "old" Thunderbolt 2-equipped MacBook Pro and Thunderbolt 3 adapter out of my bag, and It Just Worked as it saved the day.

Of course, I was left to ponder the irony of the $50 adapter working while the new $3K MacBook did not...


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## P3TAAL (Sep 1, 2020)

Symfoniq said:


> Agreed that the Apple adapter "just works."
> 
> I've had one in my laptop bag for a while now, knowing that I'd eventually need one, even if I couldn't predict when.
> 
> ...


That's the thing. Mine was an Apple adaptor and it didn't work. And after good user feedback... oh the irony.🤪


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## P3TAAL (Sep 2, 2020)

Update on the situation.

OK yesterday I carried out all sorts of trouble shooting test using different connectors, re-installing the thunderbolt driver and control software etc. I must have done this at least 5 times but nothing seemed to work. My Focusrite Clarett just would not show up on my IMAC. (I'm no slouch at trouble shooting by the way)
Just received my new adaptor from apple. (very fast delivery by the way) so just before using it I thought I would try the old adaptor one last time. Still nothing.

Connected the new adaptor and did another thunderbolt driver install and everything works great.
But curiosity got the better of me and I tried the old connector again and what do you know...that also works...

Well at least I have a spare I guess.


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