Keysight DSOX2000 or R&S RTB2000

[Ghislain]

Hi all,

I have been struggling to find any meaningful comparisons between these two platforms.
The Keysight DSOX2000 has been launched in 2011, has most of the bugs ironed out while the R&S RTB2000 is a brand new platform still to be discovered (and yes, I know it has a larger touch screen and more memory).

The reason I am asking is that I have the opportunity to buy a DSOX2002A with the DSOX2APPBNDL for about the same price as the base RTB2002. To be honest, the R&S provides an upgrade path but the cost for such upgrades is outrageous (at least for an occasional hobby user).
I am not looking for any Chinese alternatives, I have my mind set on a reliable (affordable) platform that I can enjoy for many years to come (FFT is not important to me).
Would appreciate any thoughts on this one, thank you.

[trevwhite]

If the hack still works for the DSOX2002A then you can get a fully loaded scope? I can not remember if the memory depth is upgradeable on the DSOX2002A? That would be my question.

If you ask R&S in your country you might find they throw in the software options you are after for free to get the deal done. I think they can be a little flexible if you ask the right person.

[nctnico]

If FFT and decoding aren't important then the Tektronix TBS2000 series may be interesting. I've played a bit with one at a customer and it isn't that bad. IMHO the RTB2000 needs a few more firmware iterations to iron out the bugs.

[Ghislain]

I am not aware about any hacks for the DSOX2000, guess I should look into that  The memory upgrade is part of the DSOXAPPBNDL (reference is DSOX2MEMUP).
There is a video about the effect of the memory upgrade here

I am afraid the distributor of R&S in my country will not move an inch when it comes to throwing anything extra, for them the entry model RTB2002 is a low value sale and my experience is that unless you spend high dollar they do not do anything. On top of that, in the US there was an amazing launch deal which never materialized in Europe.
We rarely get to see extra special deals here (but that is not limited to R&S only).

[Ghislain]

If FFT and decoding aren't important then the Tektronix TBS2000 series may be interesting. I've played a bit with one at a customer and it isn't that bad. IMHO the RTB2000 needs a few more firmware iterations to iron out the bugs.

Thank you for the suggestion but I am afraid I not a huge fan of the Tektronix DSO's, they seem to be constantly catching up and are no longer the innovators they used to be. I have narrowed it down to Keysight and R&S.

[nctnico]

I'd get one on loan before making a final decission. As I wrote before: the TBS2000 didn't seem as bad as people made it appear and deep memory can be very handy. The DSOX2000 has only 256kpts (or less with reference traces enabled) in real usage scenarios so the TBS2000 has almost 100 times more memory! IMHO real value for money is somewhere else but you seem to be set on an A-brand.

[mikeselectricstuff]

From what I've seen, or am aware of, there aren't any bugs in the RTB that are serious enough to sway a buying decision. I think I saw that there was a new release due soon.
You may want to hold on to see if this significantly improves the responsiveness of the UI, if that's important to you.  At the moment the Keysight is significantly better in that respect.
On the other hand the RTB has a lot more memory, a bigger (touch) screen, built-in (fast) networking.

[Ghislain]

From what I've seen, or am aware of, there aren't any bugs in the RTB that are serious enough to sway a buying decision. I think I saw that there was a new release due soon.
You may want to hold on to see if this significantly improves the responsiveness of the UI, if that's important to you.  At the moment the Keysight is significantly better in that respect.
On the other hand the RTB has a lot more memory, a bigger (touch) screen, built-in (fast) networking.

That is exactly why it is such a difficult choice, the Keysight platform is 6 years old but the offer I am looking at includes all of the following options for the same price as the basic RTB2002 version:
DSOX2AUTO Automotive trigger and analysis (CAN/LIN)
DSOX2COMP Computer trigger and analysis (RS232/UART)
DSOX2EMBD Embedded trigger and analysis (I²C/SPI)
DSOX2MASK Mask limit testing
DSOX2MEMUP Memory upgrade to 1 Mpts per channel
DSOX2SGM Segmented memory acquisition
DSOX2WAVEGEN Integrated 20 MHz function generator

while the RTB is a brand new platform and let's be honest one hell of a scope (yes, I have seen your excellent reviews  ) - adding all or even some of the above will more than double the cost of the scope (even if I can spread it over time by extending gradually).
So basically it boils down to the following: do I walk away with an excellent, full option scope (minus the LAN interface) that has proven to be stable but may soon be replaced or do I go for the new (bare) kid on the block that offers the same functionality albeit at a very high upgrade cost?

PS. I did not notice any particular bad sluggishness of the UI for the RTB2000 but I take your word for it that the Keysight is better in that respect (new soon to be released firmware for the RTB2000 might cure that)
 

[Ghislain]

I'd get one on loan before making a final decission. As I wrote before: the TBS2000 didn't seem as bad as people made it appear and deep memory can be very handy. The DSOX2000 has only 256kpts (or less with reference traces enabled) in real usage scenarios so the TBS2000 has almost 100 times more memory! IMHO real value for money is somewhere else but you seem to be set on an A-brand.

You are absolutely right, the Keysight by default has 100 Kpts but the optional extension brings that to 1 Mpts which is, by modern standards, still on the low end of the scale. This being said I do not see Keysight users complaining about a lack of memory in real life usage?

[mikeselectricstuff]

PS. I did not notice any particular bad sluggishness of the UI for the RTB2000 but I take your word for it that the Keysight is better in that respect (new soon to be released firmware for the RTB2000 might cure that)

Unless you're already used to an Agilent/KS UI you probably wouldn't notice it.
You have to look at whayt you actually need - everyone's needs are different. Don't be swayed by tons of options you won't actually have any use for.
R&S have hinted at some promo deals in the future, though I doubt we'll see anything like the launch one.

[JPortici]

I would never get a 2000x series, since the introduction of the 1000x it has no sense to exist.

the 2000x is actually a 1000x with the Logic Analyzer, aside the fact that the LA in the 2000x is useless: you can't use the protocol decoders with the digital channels in the 2000x.

well.. okay, the 2000x can have 4 channels, but still..

[nctnico]

I'd get one on loan before making a final decission. As I wrote before: the TBS2000 didn't seem as bad as people made it appear and deep memory can be very handy. The DSOX2000 has only 256kpts (or less with reference traces enabled) in real usage scenarios so the TBS2000 has almost 100 times more memory! IMHO real value for money is somewhere else but you seem to be set on an A-brand.

You are absolutely right, the Keysight by default has 100 Kpts but the optional extension brings that to 1 Mpts which is, by modern standards, still on the low end of the scale. This being said I do not see Keysight users complaining about a lack of memory in real life usage?

I used to own an Agilent DSO7104A and even with the 8Mpts option I ran out of memory every now and then. People who want deep memory don't buy Keysight in the first place.

[Ghislain]

From what I am reading here it seems pretty clear to me that the new R&S platform is the better (long term) choice.
Thank you all  for your most appreciated feedback and hands on experience, I'll be on the look out for some commercial action from R&S (if that materializes) 
 

[Hydrawerk]

DSOX2002A was introduced back in 2011. I bought it in 2013 and love it. But nowadays I would consider the R&S scope, although I do not like the internal construction much.

Let's wait till 2018, Keysight might introduce a successor scope.