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The Klipsch The Nines II are a great-sounding set of speakers that come with a surprising price bump.

If you're thinking of investing in some Philips Hue smart lighting, read this first.

Klipsch The Nines II: Two-minute review

The Klipsch The Nines II are a tough pair of small speakers to beat for a large room. The amount of power and the clean, slightly overly bassy, sound are just some of what make these speakers special. There's also a ton of features on offer, including virtualized spatial audio (which is admittedly limited) Wi-Fi streaming, and even Dirac Live (though I couldn't seem to get it to work during my testing).

In fact, the buggy nature of the Dirac Live is my only real gripe with Klipsch's The Nines II (well, that and their cumbersome name if you're writing a review…), and the Dirac issue could be more due to environmental factors than a fundamental problem. My other issue — the fact that the speakers are heavy — is more just inconvenient than a real flaw.

Whenever I listen, I’m convinced that The Klipsch The Nines II are among the best stereo speakers to come out this year. And the amount of connectivity and features make them a nice alternative to the best soundbars, especially if you still want a bit of that more traditional stereo speaker setup.

Just be aware that these are quite a bit more expensive than the original Klipsch The Nines. That said, The Klipsch The Nines II offer a lot more than the first version as well.

(Image credit: Future / James Holland)Klipsch The Nines II review: Price and release date

• How much does it cost? $2,399 / £2,249 / AU$4,999
• When is it available? Available now
• Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK, and Australia

The original Klipsch The Nines have been out for a few years now, so the Spring release of the Klipsch The Nines II in 2026 is perfect timing. Speakers may not benefit from the yearly iterations of something like phones or TVs, but it’s about time for the upgrade considering the improvements in Bluetooth technology and W-iFi streaming over those last few years.

Interestingly enough, the Klipsch The Nines II are more than an iterative upgrade. Dolby Atmos (even if it’s a virtualization) and Dirac Live support are on offer in the new version, along with support for more Hi-Res codecs and a wider frequency range, which is why this newer version also comes with a much higher price tag — they're $700 / £700 more than the originals. That’s quite a price hike.

Klipsch The Nines II Powered Stereo Speakers: Specs

Dimensions

18.13” (460.38mm) H x 9.62” (244.5mm) W x 14.75” (374.65mm) D

Weight

Active speaker: 32.8lbs (14.9kg); Passive speaker: 31.7 lbs (14.43kg))

Active or passive

Active

Subwoofer

No (has sub out)

Frequency response

31Hz-25kHz +/- 3dB

Dolby Atmos / DTS:X enabled

Yes (virtualized)

Maximum output

107dB

Klipsch The Nines II Powered Stereo Speakers: Features

• Virtualized Dolby Atmos, and Dirac room correction
• Wi-Fi streaming for a bunch of different music apps
• App has a lot of functionality, including custom EQ

The Klipsch The Nines II speakers may be limited in terms of features just by their form factor compared to a soundbar system like the Klipsch Flexus Core 300, but they have the right amount of options for a pair of bookshelf speakers.

Dolby Atmos and DTX:S is available on these speakers, though the spatial audio support is virtualized due to the fact that there aren’t any upward-facing speakers, and obviously limited width. Still, the virtualization does give a sense of height to the audio that works decently with a blockbuster movie.

Along with Bluetooth connectivity (5.4 specifically), the Klipsch The Nines II also support Wi-Fi streaming, specifically Google Cast, Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Qobuz Connect, and more. Since they work with Google Cast, they can be set up with Google Home for smart home users.

There’s a tiny bit of a lag between source and speaker when going wireless. However, there is a Lip Sync setting in the app to better synchronize when using the speakers with a wireless source with visuals, such as watching a video on a laptop with the audio coming through the Klipsches.

There will still be a lag between play, pause, etc. but that’s not something that I found to really affect my experience of the speakers.

The Klipsch app's front page is intuitive to useFuture / James HollandAll the inputs are selectable from the app's front pageFuture / James HollandThe Klipsch The Nines II have a number of audio adjustments on offer in the appFuture / James HollandThe Klipsch app has a five band EQ along with some presets availableFuture / James Holland

Speaking of the app, this is the central place for any deeper fine tuning. If you want to tweak the audio, there’s a five-band EQ in the app along with some presets. If you want to set up or use Dirac Live, you do that through the app — by the way, the speaker comes with a limited license that will adjust the audio between 200 and 500 Hz (the full frequency is paywalled).

Lastly (well, I’m leaving a few less consequential things out), you can turn on a few different modes: Dynamic Bass, Dialog mode, and Night Mode, and they all work decently enough with the latter being the most effective at its purpose (bringing up quiet sounds and bringing down loud ones).

• Features score: 4.5 / 5

The controls on the Klipsch The Nines II are fairly minimalist (Image credit: Future / James Holland)Klipsch The Nines II Powered Stereo Speakers: Sound quality

• Weighty, robust sound
• Lots of bass, mid-bass a bit too full
• Lots of dynamic headroom

Klipsch's The Nines II are really good sounding speakers, and they might be the most weighty sounding speakers I’ve heard for the size, too. Despite not having a subwoofer (or maybe because of it and still providing a lot of bass), every element seems to have a thickness or robustness to it that I usually don’t hear with a lot of audio equipment.

Listening to music the low end is there in spades, whether I was listening to pop, hip hop, or even Counting Crows. The massive bass gives a boominess to the mid-range that is not unpleasant, but is far from neutral or accurate. Using the app to bring the 400Hz slider down one or two notches does clean up the sound a lot, but know that this is fundamentally built into its audio profile.

The high end is slightly on the warm side due to that weightiness I spoke about. Boosting the 8kHz slider in the app does brighten the affair though, if you prefer. Regardless, the Klipsch The Nines II did retain all the detail in the high-end in elements such as the strings in Radiohead’s Pyramid Song or Joni Mitchell’s higher register in A Case of You.

The soundstage, while dependent on correctly setting up the speakers, is not only nice and wide but has good separation thanks to the amount of headroom on these speakers. After all, I never really had them higher than halfway up in volume and they filled a good sized room full of distortion-free, clean audio.

• Sound quality score: 4.5 / 5

Klipsch The Nines II: Design

• These speakers are big for bookshelves
• Few physical controls, lots of inputs
• There's a subwoofer output

The Klipsch The Nines II are big at over 18 inches tall, over nine and a half inches wide, and almost 15 inches deep, weighing up to 33 lbs per speaker (the one without all the controls is two measly pounds lighter). They’re also attractive, thankfully, coming in three colorways: walnut, red oak, and black (reviewed here).

In terms of controls, the active speaker only has a volume dial and a single power / input cycle button. There’s also an LED indicator above the power button that changes colors depending on the input selected and, while there may only be two physical controls (there’s also a pairing button on the back of each speaker labeled Utility), there are quite a few inputs.

There’s HDMI eARC, optical, phono, USB, Bluetooth, coaxial, and ethernet. It’s easier to select them through the app, because remembering which color corresponds to which port isn't easy to remember.

All the ports are situated on the back of the primary speaker. Besides the physical ports for the channels listed above that need them, there’s also a sub out and a mic in, the latter of which is for the Dirac Live feature.

Also included are speaker covers that attach magnetically, along with a matte black remote, the aforementioned wired mic, an HDMI cable, power cable, and cable to connect the two speakers to each other physically, if you don't want to have them speaking to each other wirelessly (they’re automatically paired with each other out of the box, so going wireless is no hassle).

• Design score: 4.5 / 5

It's a good thing these are large, because there's a lot you can connect (Image credit: Future / James Holland)Klipsch The Nines II review: Setup and usability

• Setup is made more difficult by the speakers’ weight
• App is intuitive to use for the most part
• Dirac Live is difficult to set up

The Klipsch The Nines II are both easy and not easy to set up, entirely based on their weight. The primary and secondary speakers are automatically paired out of the box and just need to be plugged in to power. Pairing via Bluetooth requires just being on the Bluetooth input and connecting via your smart phone.

And the physical connections just need their respective cables and possibly a settings change — changing a TV’s audio output to eARC, for instance. In terms of functionality, that’s all you have to do to use them.

That said, each speaker is heavy at over 30 lbs each (or over 14.5kg). That’s cumbersome to move. Even if that weight is not a problem for you, these are big boxes. Add in speaker stands, which I believe are ideal for getting the best sound out of these speakers (an additional $475 for a pair if you want Klipsch's own…) and setup becomes more of a physical challenge than it might be for some speakers.

The stand just takes time to assemble: connect the proper rubber feet based on flooring, the base to the stand, and the stand to the speaker. But if you connected the stand to the speaker upside down like I did, you’ll encounter my least favorite part… flipping the speaker over while connected to the stand, which weighs an additional 24.1 lbs (10.9kg), by the way.

Each complete 57 lbs unit was unwieldy, to say the least, and I felt like I had to be careful so as not to let these fairly pricey speakers accidentally fall and get damaged.

Outside of that, adjusting the speakers for placement is similar to any other pair of bookshelf speakers, if heavier, and it didn't take me long to get them situated for a listening sweet spot on the couch.

Using the speakers is likewise a slightly mixed bag. Using the remote is easy and I appreciate the ability to remap the two bottom buttons to my favorite inputs. The app is generally intuitive as well.

However, as much as I enjoy the difference Dirac Live can make with speakers, I had an incredibly difficult time getting the calibration test to run even though I had the upgrade for the full frequency range (an additional $99).

I know that the microphone is very sensitive so needs as much quiet as possible, but no matter how hard I tried, that degree of quiet threshold I just could not reach.

• Setup and usability score: 3.5 / 5

The Klipsch The Nines II do come with a number of accessories. Cat not included… (Image credit: Future / James Holland)Klipsch The Nines II Powered Stereo Speakers: Value

• Comes with a premium price tag
• A lot of very good speakers available for much less
• Much more expensive than the original Klipsch The Nines

When the original Klipsch The Nines came out, they were priced similarly to the KEF LSX II LT, one of the most popular active stereo speaker systems out there. The Klipsch The Nines II are not only seven hundred bucks more than the original, but the KEF speakers have come down to $999 / £899 since they came out. That’s a massive price difference.

That said, the KEF LSX II LT are compact so are not able to really fill a room the way The Nines II can. Plus, there’s no analog connectivity or the extensive set of features the Klipsch The Nines II have.

When it comes to being a complete and yet powerful stereo system in two (reasonably) compact boxes, The Nines II are good value — but no one's going to claim they're a bargain.

• Value score: 3.5 / 5

Should I buy the Klipsch The Nines II speakers?Score card

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

Dolby Atmos, Wi-Fi streaming, Dirac Live and a huge suite of connectivity options.

4.5 / 5

Sound quality

You might want to do some minor EQing, but they sound immersive and full, with enough bass to skip adding a subwoofer.

4.5 / 5

Design

They look good, the controls are nicely done, and the connectivity is well-handled.

4.5 / 5

Setup and Usability

Setup is easy but does take some muscle or a second person to do properly. Dirac Live calibration has issues.

3.5 / 5

Value

The price hike from the previous version may seem too much, but it’s worth it with the added features.

3.5 / 5

Buy them if…

You want a robust, immersive sound
The audio quality is so good, it makes you want to just turn up. It has a certain weight to it that makes you forget there’s no subwoofer.

You want all the features
Spatial audio, Wi-Fi streaming for just about every app, and a bunch of other features are about all one could ask for in a pair of stereo speakers.

You want stereo speakers at the heart of an entertainment system
With all the inputs available, one could switch between a TV, turntable, smart phone, and more with just a few presses of a button.

Don’t buy them if…

You’re on a budget
If you’re looking at The Nines II, you probably know that Klipsch is pricey (and there are certainly more expensive powered speakers out there). However, if you’re tight on cash, you can get some good audio for much less.

You want full Dolby Atmos
While the Klipsch The Nines support spatial audio formats such Dolby Atmos, the speakers themselves do not reproduce full height or, obviously, rear sound. If you’re looking for a quick way to spatial audio, this is not it.

Klipsch The Nines II review: Also consider

KEF LSX II LT
The KEF LSX II LT don’t work as well for large rooms, but if you’re looking for a wonderful sounding set of speakers for a smaller listening room and want to save some money, the KEF LSX II LT might be the best option out there.

Read our full KEF LSX II LT review

Kanto Ren
The Kanto Ren has it all in terms of connectivity – USB-C, HDMI, Bluetooth 5.3. Plus it comes in interesting colors, though it will pick up every fingerprint. It’s lovely with a full, robust sound. However, the bass can get a little flabby.

Read our full Kanto Ren review

How I tested the Klipsch The Nines II

• Used regularly for a few weeks
• Listened to all sorts of audio
• Used the various controls and ports

I used the Klipsch The Nines II for a few weeks, listening to all sorts of genres of music, such as hip hop, EDM, pop, rock, jazz, and folk to get a better feel for these speakers. They were also tested with some TV viewing and computer games.

I’ve tested a lot of tech gear over the years from laptops to keyboards and speakers, and so have been able to use my expertise towards giving an honest and fair opinion, not to mention a critical eye, to any product I test.

• First reviewed: June 2026
• Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

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UGREEN Maxidok 17-in-1 TB5 Dock: 30-second review

The Ugreen Revodok Maxidok 17-in-1 arrives as the brand's flagship Thunderbolt 5 dock, and it makes a strong case for that title. It sits at the top of UGREEN's new Maxidok range, above two 10-in-1 siblings, and it earns the crown through sheer specification depth rather than marketing bravado.

At its core, the dock delivers a full Thunderbolt 5 host connection rated at 120Gbps and up to 140W of laptop charging, paired with two downstream TB5 ports running at 80Gbps each. That is the kind of bandwidth that makes a real difference with high-resolution multi-display setups and fast external storage. The headline party trick is the built-in M.2 NVMe PCIe Gen4 x4 slot, which accepts drives up to 8TB. For video editors and creative professionals who burn through storage, that alone justifies a serious look.

The form factor is a neat 133 x 133 x 53mm cube closely matching the Mac mini footprint, or many performance NUCs.

Finished in dark grey zinc alloy with copper-tone grill accents, making it look the part on a professional desk. Cooling is handled by a hybrid system that combines passive chassis dissipation with a temperature-triggered fan, and that’s a remarkably quiet fan.

The port count of 17 covers most professional requirements, including USB-C, USB-A, SD and microSD card readers, DisplayPort 2.1, 2.5GbE Ethernet, and no less than three audio jacks. The missing piece is HDMI, which will frustrate anyone with monitors that lack DisplayPort. Networking at 2.5GbE is functional but feels conservative at this price point.

At $390, this is not a casual purchase. The CalDigit TS5 Plus offers more ports, better networking, and higher total power, but lacks the SSD slot and costs $110 more. If that internal M.2 flexibility matters to you, the Maxidok 17-in-1 has a compelling answer.

A few wrinkles with the M.2 slot and the 2.5GbE LAN port keep this from being automatically enrolled in our guide to the best laptop docking stations we've tested. But a firmware fix might still resolve them.

UGREEN Maxidok 17-in-1 TB5 Dock: Price & availability

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

• How much does it cost? $390/£320/€391
• When is it out? Available now
• Where can you get it? Direct from Ugreen or via an online retailer

The Ugreen Revodok Maxidok 17-in-1 Thunderbolt 5 Docking Station carries is available from Ugreen's Amazon store where at the time of my review, it's priced at $390 in the US (was $500), and running to a cost of £315 (was £420) in the UK.

I can't say how long those prices will hold, though, so they may return to the full price. As with many products from Chinese brands, the gap between stated RRP and actual street price can be significant.

At this price, the 17-in-1 sits alongside CalDigit, OWC, and Kensington in the premium tier of Thunderbolt 5 docks. Whether that represents fair value depends heavily on whether the integrated M.2 slot is a priority for your workflow.

The alternative many will turn to is the CalDigit TS5 Plus, a dock that features a 10GbE LAN port and a 140W power profile. That 20-port option doesn’t have an M.2 slot, and it costs $499.99 / £469.99 on Amazon.com. A less expensive option from CalDigit is the CalDigit TS5, a dock with 15 ports that sells for $399.99, but it has only a 2.5GbE LAN port and no M.2 slot.

OWC hasn’t delivered a dock with nearly this many ports so far; its top-of-the-range OWC Thunderbolt 5 Dual 10GbE Network Dock has only 11 ports in total. Its strengths are dual 10GbE LAN ports and four TB5 (one uplink, three down). But, at $499.99, it’s not inexpensive.

There are only two choices that can compete on price: the Plugable TB5 Dock and the Anker Prime TB5, but both have fewer ports, no M.2 slot, and the same 2.5GbE LAN cap. The Plugable is cheaper at $350, as is the Anker at $357, but the pricing reflects their limited port selection, which more closely matches the UGREEN Maxidok 10-to-1 TB5, a $250 dock.

UGREEN also makes a Thunderbolt 5 Dock exclusively for Apple Mac Mini users, but that’s beyond my remit to assess.

In short, this is the cheapest flagship design available, though it is possible to get a TB5 dock for less.

• Value: 4 / 5

UGREEN Maxidok 17-in-1 TB5 Dock: Specs

Model

Ugreen Revodok Maxidok 17-in-1 Thunderbolt 5 Docking Station (U716)

Host Connection

1x Thunderbolt 5 upstream (120Gbps bidirectional, 140W PD)

TB5 Downstream

2x Thunderbolt 5 (up to 80Gbps each)

DisplayPort

1x DisplayPort 2.1 (supports 8K@60Hz or dual 6K@60Hz)

HDMI

None

USB-C Ports

3x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps, front panel)

USB-A Ports

3x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps, rear)

Storage Slot

M.2 NVMe PCIe Gen4 x4 (up to 8TB, up to 6000MB/s rated)

Card Readers

1x SD 4.0 + 1x microSD/TF 4.0 (front panel)

Ethernet

2.5GbE

Audio Front

1x 3.5mm combo jack

Audio Rear

1x 3.5mm audio in + 1x 3.5mm audio out

DC Power Input

12V barrel jack

Power Supply

240W external brick

Host Charging

Up to 140W via Thunderbolt 5 host port

Second Port Charging

Up to 60W

Total Power Output

240W

Bandwidth

120Gbps unidirectional / 80Gbps bidirectional

Display Config

Single 8K@60Hz OR dual 6K@60Hz

Cooling

Hybrid: passive aluminium chassis + internal temperature-triggered fan

Chassis Material

Zinc alloy with aluminium shell, copper-tone grill accents

Dimensions

133 x 133 x 53mm

Weight

0.87kg (dock only, excluding PSU)

Operating System

macOS (M4 Pro/Max for full TB5), Windows 11 TB5/TB4/USB4

Backwards Compatibility

Thunderbolt 4, USB4 v2, USB4 v1, USB 3.2

Security

Kensington lock slot

Warranty

2 years

In The Box

Dock, 240W PSU, multi-region power cables, 0.7m TB5 cable, M.2 screwdriver, manual

UGREEN Maxidok 17-in-1 TB5 Dock: Design

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

• Two colour metal construction
• Logical port layout
• M.2 slot underneath

Ugreen has made a clear decision with the Maxidok 17-in-1. This is not a dock that hides under your monitor or lurks at the back of the desk. It is a cube that demands a spot on the surface, and it has the build quality to justify that placement.

The chassis measures 133 x 133 x 53mm and weighs 0.87kg. Those are almost exactly the dimensions of an Apple Mac mini, and that resemblance is clearly intentional. The dark gun-metal grey zinc alloy and aluminium body slots naturally into any desk arrangement that includes Apple hardware.

The copper-coloured grill panels on the sides add a flash of visual character, which sets this apart from the sea of anonymous black and silver boxes that populate the docking station market.

Port layout is sensible. The front panel carries the most frequently accessed connections: a power button with LED indicator, the SD and microSD card readers, three USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 ports, and a 3.5mm combo audio jack. The rear carries the more static connections.

Three USB-A ports that are all 10Gbps, the DisplayPort 2.1 output, two Thunderbolt 5 downstream ports, the Thunderbolt 5 host port, the 2.5GbE Ethernet jack, a DC 12V barrel input, and separate 3.5mm audio in and out jacks.

The power button doubles as a master disconnect, cutting power to all connected peripherals and displays with a single press. That is a useful addition for a device intended for 24-hour desk duty.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

Under the dock, a hinged trap door conceals the M.2 NVMe expansion slot. Ugreen includes an M.2 screwdriver in the box, and installing or swapping a drive is straightforward.

Where this differs from other docks that I’ve encountered with an M.2 slot. Instead of the drive being near the surface, here it is buried deep inside. The cover has a metal heatsink on it that, once the included thermal pad is used, will touch the top of the drive.

This arrangement is meant for an SSD without an integrated heatsink, obviously.

Cooling combines passive heat dissipation through the chassis with an internal fan that activates based on temperature. I’m saying this because UGREEN told me, but in all my testing, I never once heard this fan running. It’s either silent or hardly ever activated.

One practical note that I’d like to relay is that the external power supply is substantial. At 240W, it needs to be, but the brick is longer than the dock in any direction. Depending on where you place it, the PSU takes up meaningful desk real estate or cable management effort.

• Design: 4 / 5

UGREEN Maxidok 17-in-1 TB5 Dock: Features

• 120Gbps Bandwidth
• Only 2.5GbE LAN
• 140W + 60W charging

The Maxidok 17-in-1 is built around a Thunderbolt 5 host connection that delivers the full 120Gbps unidirectional bandwidth the standard allows. In practical terms, that is double the throughput of Thunderbolt 4, and the difference is not theoretical.

With multiple high-resolution displays active alongside fast external storage, TB4 docks begin rationing bandwidth between devices. The Maxidok does not have that problem, and it also doesn’t fall into another common trap about power distribution.

Laptop charging via the host port reaches 140W. That is enough to sustain even the most power-hungry professional laptops under full load. A second Thunderbolt 5 port can simultaneously fast-charge a second device at up to 60W, bringing total delivery to 240W when all outputs are in play. That doesn’t account for the dock's power consumption, so I suspect 200W is closer to the peak output.

Display support runs to either a single 8K at 60Hz or dual 6K displays at 60Hz simultaneously, both routed through the DisplayPort 2.1 output and the downstream Thunderbolt 5 ports. Reaching the 8K ceiling requires a host with a genuine Thunderbolt 5 connection.

Apple Mac owners should note that the M4 Pro and M4 Max are the earliest Apple Silicon chips to support TB5; older MacBooks top out at 6K via TB4.

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

The built-in M.2 NVMe slot is the feature that most clearly differentiates this dock from competing products at a similar price. Ugreen rates the slot at PCIe Gen4 x4, which should permit read speeds up to 6000MB/s on compatible drives, and capacities to 8TB are supported. In practice, this turns the dock into a workstation hub where a single cable connects everything, including a substantial pool of fast local storage.

What I like about docks with M.2 slots is that they can provide a fast snapshot of working files on a laptop, with a live backup configured. And they can be formatted, typically in ExFAT or NTFS, so they can be moved into a PC or caddie and remain accessible.

The LAN port is 2.5GbE, but as I’ll discuss later, that’s a label, not a promise. For most office and home office users, 2.5GbE is adequate, but at this price, it is reasonable to expect at least an option for 5GbE or even 10GbE. CalDigit's TS5 Plus and various other competitors in this tier provide 10GbE as standard. If network throughput matters to your workflow, this is worth noting.

Card reader performance uses the SD 4.0 standard on both the SD and microSD slots, which is a genuine upgrade over the SD 3.0 slots found on many rival docks. Faster card readers make a measurable difference to photographers and videographers working with modern high-speed memory cards.

Audio provides a front-panel combo jack for headsets alongside separate line-in and line-out 3.5 mm jacks at the rear -- a useful split that supports both monitoring and microphone inputs without adapters.

• Features: 4 / 5

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)UGREEN Maxidok 17-in-1 TB5 Dock: Performance

• TB5 Bandwidth Boost for video
• 240W PSU fixes power pinch
• Performance issues with M.2 and 2.5GbE LAN

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

The bandwidth headroom of Thunderbolt 5 is the core performance story here. While Thunderbolt 4 docks must arbitrate between competing devices when bandwidth pressure builds, the 120 Gbps ceiling of TB5 removes that constraint in most real-world configurations. For Thunderbolt devices, everything works well, with no sign of contention or throttling.

Host charging performance is also straightforward. The 140W available at the TB5 host port keeps demanding laptops stable under load. The second 60W port handles a second device simultaneously without reducing host power delivery.

Display output performs as expected when the host hardware supports it, enabling even those with a TB4 connection to get 6K output at 60Hz.

Full 8K output requires a TB5 host, which currently means a machine running an Intel Thunderbolt 5 controller or an Apple M4 Pro or M4 Max. Using the dock with older TB4 hardware remains useful and fully stable; the display ceiling is simply lower.

However, there are two aspects to this dock that didn’t live up to expectations.

The first of those is the performance of the M.2 slot, which, according to the specifications, is rated for Gen4x4. The performance I experienced on both TB5 and TB4 strongly hinted that this is a PCIe Gen3 x4 performance slot, not Gen4.

I even tried a Gen5 drive in here, and that didn’t move the needle. Using a Kioxia Exceria Plus G3, rated for 5,000MB/s reads, the fastest speeds I managed were 3900MB/s reads and 2200MB/s writes. What’s truly baffling about these results is that by inserting a Corsair EX400U external USB4 drive, I was able to achieve the same read speed and 3700MB/s writing.

I compounded this by then removing the Kioxa Exceria Plus G3 from the dock, putting it in a Ugreen 40Gbps USB4 caddie, and achieved 3671Mb/s reads and 2167MB/s writes. So the internal M.2 slot isn’t appreciably any faster than an externally connected USB4 SSD. And, depending on the drive, it can be dramatically slower.

This discrepancy between what was expected and delivered wasn’t limited to the M.2 slot, it was also apparent on the 2.5GbE LAN port.

As part of my testing, I copied some files from my Ugreen NAS, a system that is connected to my network at 10GbE, using the 2.5GbE LAN port on the dock. But instead of the standard speed of around 280MB/s these transfers capped at about 160MB/s. It was like this was a 1.5GbE LAN port, not 2.5GbE.

But, and this is where things got weird, when I plugged a UGREEN 2.5GbE USB LAN adapter into one of the 10Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, I got the full 2.5GbE speed.

Therefore, if you want 2.5GbE LAN on this dock, spend another $25, and you're good, unless you need all those USB ports.

Both of these issues have the same source: the way a UGREEN engineer decided how bandwidth would be allocated among the different ports. Probably incorrectly, I’ve always assumed that this is a dynamic allocation on the Thunderbolt silicon, but evidently that’s not the case. In both circumstances, the only thing plugged in was the port or slot being tested, and in theory, it could have had all the bandwidth in the dock.

It might be possible to adjust these allocations with a firmware upgrade, but based on my research, I couldn’t find a single example of one for a Ugreen Thunderbolt dock. Therefore, I wouldn’t hold my breath that this hardware will get one.

I need to say that this isn’t the only Thunderbolt 5 dock I’ve experienced these issues with, so it may be a problem Intel created along with their latest chips.

• Performance: 3.5 / 5

UGREEN Maxidok 17-in-1 TB5 Dock: Final verdict

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

The Ugreen Revodok Maxidok 17-in-1 Thunderbolt 5 Docking Station is a well-considered product from a brand that has been building credibility in this category over several product generations. The combination of full Thunderbolt 5 bandwidth, 140W host charging, 240W total output, and a built-in PCIe Gen4 M.2 slot creates a genuinely differentiated package in an increasingly crowded market.

The design is one of the better efforts in the category. The cube form factor looks considered rather than an afterthought, and the quality of materials justifies the price tag from a tactile standpoint. The cooling system handles sustained workloads quietly, which matters for a device sitting permanently on a desk.

The omission of HDMI is a real inconvenience for anyone without a DisplayPort monitor, but then the same would be true for those with a DisplayPort monitor if it had HDMI. At this price, a single HDMI output alongside the DisplayPort would have removed a friction point entirely. The 2.5GbE networking is functional but underperforms, and rivals at this price offer 10GbE, and that gap is noticeable in network-heavy workflows.

The M.2 slot is the reason to choose this over CalDigit's TS5 Plus. If you need integrated fast storage expansion alongside all the Thunderbolt 5 benefits, the Maxidok 17-in-1 delivers it in one cable. If you do not need the SSD slot and want better networking plus more ports, the TS5 Plus is the stronger choice at a similar price.

The performance of the M.2 slot is also underwhelming, given that it is supposedly Gen4x4.

In the end, the Maxidok 17-in-1 TB5 Dock comes with more caveats than I expected, even though many alternatives have similar or the same issues.

If you have Thunderbolt 5, a dock like this opens up plenty of possibilities, but I wouldn’t recommend it for those with Thunderbolt 4 or USB4, since you can’t reasonably exploit its advantages.

UGREEN Maxidok 17-in-1 TB5 Dock: Report card

Value

The cheapest flagship TB5 dock

4 / 5

Design

Elegant cube with plenty of ports, but a huge PSU

4 / 5

Features

M.2 slot and 240W PSU are the headline features

4 / 5

Performance

Issues with both the M.2 and 2.5GbE LAN ports in getting the full performance

3.5 / 5

Overall

A great TB5 dock, other than the LAN port and M.2 slot

4 / 5

Should I buy a UGREEN Maxidok 17-in-1 TB5 Dock?

(Image credit: Mark Pickavance)Buy it if...

You have Thunderbolt 5 or USB4v2
If you have the right ports, you can extract levels of performance from this dock that TB4 and USB4 could only dream. And, it can also handle dual 8K video, should you have the monitors to connect.

You need 140W charging
Some docks claim 140W charging, and then only come with a 180W PSU, meaning that there isn’t the power to have other ports output to their power limits without eating into the 140W base. This dock has a 240W PSU, allowing it to charge at 140W and also have 60W spare for other ports to utilise.View Deal

Don't buy it if...

You are operating on a budget
This 17-in-1 Thunderbolt 5 dock isn’t one of the cheapest devices for this connection technology. There are cheaper TB5 docks available if you don’t need all of the features of this one. The Ugreen 10-in-1 is a good, affordable alternative.

You use the LAN
The performance of the 2.5GbE LAN port on this dock is disappointing, as it doesn’t deliver the speeds it should be capable. There are ways to address this problem, but it requires additional cost and the use of a USB port.

Also consider

Ugreen Maxidok 10-to-1 TB5 dock
Fewer ports but the same underlying TB5 technology, and a much lower price. The 10-to-1 dock offers two TB5 downlink ports and a single HDMI monitor output at only 60% of the price of its 17-to-1 big brother.

Check out my Ugreen Maxidok 10-to-1 TB5 dock review

The Ugreen Maxidok 17-in-1 Thunderbolt 5 Dock is a flagship dock for those who want it all.

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