Should I replace my Siglent SDS2014X Plus oscilloscope with SDS3014X HD?

[Sercan]

Hi Folk!

I am an electronics hobbyist. I prefer the devices I use at home lab to be the most up-to-date ones that fit within my budget. Even if not every feature is necessary when purchasing devices, as I develop my electronic skills, these features become useful to me.

Anyway, last year, I bought the Siglent SDS2140X Plus oscilloscope. All software features of this oscilloscope are active except for PA. Moreover, I can achieve 500 MHz with a hack.

It has only been a year since I purchased this device when Siglent introduced their new HD series. I am interested in the SDS3104X HD model from this series. It offers advantages such as 12-bit hardware resolution, double the real-time sampling rate, and double the memory depth. I won't be able to afford the software options initially, but I assume I can unlock these features with a hack in the future.

Regardless of the price, what benefits do you think I would gain from switching to the SDS3104X HD? I'm curious about your valuable opinions.

[Sercan]

By the way, here are the pages of related products.

https://int.siglent.com/products-overview/sds2000xp

https://int.siglent.com/products-overview/sds3000hd

[2N3055]

Sercan,

I think you are only one that can decide that.
I can see that you already seem to mostly know what differences "on paper" are.

My advice would be not to get "hang up" to comparing features.
There will be always some scope that "has more stuff" that the one you own.
By that logic, why not SDS7000A?

My way of thinking about these "dilemmas" of should I buy new shiny stuff is to rather think in terms of how "useful" they are to me. What does this mean?

For instance, is 500MHz Bw good enough for the stuff you do in your hobby, or you encountered (more than once !) situation when you needed 1GHz scope to finish your project?
Did you work on something where it was obvious that 12 bit scope would be needed to finish it?

If answer to those  and similar questions is yes, then you would benefit from a new 12 bit 1GHz scope. Otherwise, nice as it is to have new shiny things, you won't be able to do stuff better despite spending the money.

That is rational thinking part discussion out of the way. If you simply like new toys and it makes you happy and you have money to spend, then it is again your decision.

As for technical comparison, SDS3000xHD is actually 2 clases above SDS2000X+. It is serious upgrade, and targeted at professional market with active probes etc.

[Martin72]

The happy medium, if you don't want to invest a lot of money, would be the 2000X HD.
I had no regrets about switching from the plus to the HD, even then there were clear advantages.
And the 2000X HD has become cheaper, it could possibly drop in price again.

EDIT:
Especially as there is a promo offer for the 2000X HD.

Buy SDS2000X HD options and the Siglent SPL2016 Logic Probes for a bundle price!

This bundle contains:

Siglent SDS2000HD-FG
Siglent SDS2000HD-16LA
Siglent SPL2016 Logic Probes
Siglent SDS-2000HD-CANFD
Siglent SDS-2000HD-FlexRay
Siglent SDS-2000HD-IIS
Siglent SDS-2000HD-1553B
Siglent SDS-2000HD-SENT
Siglent SDS-2000HD-Manch

For 279€.....
the logic probes alone cost just under 400€ separately....

[egonotto]

Hello,

There are still not many people who have a device from the SDS3000X HD family. In this family, the price difference between 350 MHz and 1 GHz is relatively small. My question here would be: Is it worth €3000 to me to have 1 GHz instead of 350 MHz?
I decided no and ordered an SDS3034X HD.

Best regards
egonotto

[Martin72]

It was almost the same for me, I was faced with the choice of either 350 or 500Mhz, now I'm waiting for 350Mhz...

[egonotto]

Hello,

one thing that could still happen here is that a hack will come at some point and then all devices can have 1 GHz.

Best regards
egonotto

[Sercan]

Sercan,

I think you are only one that can decide that.
I can see that you already seem to mostly know what differences "on paper" are.

My advice would be not to get "hang up" to comparing features.
There will be always some scope that "has more stuff" that the one you own.
By that logic, why not SDS7000A?

My way of thinking about these "dilemmas" of should I buy new shiny stuff is to rather think in terms of how "useful" they are to me. What does this mean?

For instance, is 500MHz Bw good enough for the stuff you do in your hobby, or you encountered (more than once !) situation when you needed 1GHz scope to finish your project?
Did you work on something where it was obvious that 12 bit scope would be needed to finish it?

If answer to those  and similar questions is yes, then you would benefit from a new 12 bit 1GHz scope. Otherwise, nice as it is to have new shiny things, you won't be able to do stuff better despite spending the money.

That is rational thinking part discussion out of the way. If you simply like new toys and it makes you happy and you have money to spend, then it is again your decision.

As for technical comparison, SDS3000xHD is actually 2 clases above SDS2000X+. It is serious upgrade, and targeted at professional market with active probes etc.

2N3055,

Thank you for sharing your opinion.

"By that logic, why not SDS7000A?"

Yes, it's conceivable for me. I understand why you might think I enjoy purchasing shiny stuff. However, this isn't necessarily accurate in my case.

The reality is, since this is a hobby for me, there aren't really any constraints. I am not an electronics engineer focused on a specific subject. If I have enough money, I would indeed consider acquiring the SDS7000A. This is because I have an inquisitive nature, and there may be projects where I could leverage the functionalities offered by the 7000 series. My projects are somewhat vague, and as my knowledge level increases, the requirements of my projects also evolve. That's why I initiated this discussion in the forum.

"As for technical comparison, the SDS3000xHD is actually two classes above the SDS2000X+. It is a significant upgrade, targeting the professional market with active probes, etc."

I believe this sentence provides valuable insights for me. Thanks again!

[Sercan]

The happy medium, if you don't want to invest a lot of money, would be the 2000X HD.
I had no regrets about switching from the plus to the HD, even then there were clear advantages.
And the 2000X HD has become cheaper, it could possibly drop in price again.

EDIT:
Especially as there is a promo offer for the 2000X HD.

Buy SDS2000X HD options and the Siglent SPL2016 Logic Probes for a bundle price!

This bundle contains:

Siglent SDS2000HD-FG
Siglent SDS2000HD-16LA
Siglent SPL2016 Logic Probes
Siglent SDS-2000HD-CANFD
Siglent SDS-2000HD-FlexRay
Siglent SDS-2000HD-IIS
Siglent SDS-2000HD-1553B
Siglent SDS-2000HD-SENT
Siglent SDS-2000HD-Manch

For 279€.....
the logic probes alone cost just under 400€ separately....

I already buy logic probe when I bought SDS20104X Plus. In my case I just need to software option.

[Sercan]

Hello,

one thing that could still happen here is that a hack will come at some point and then all devices can have 1 GHz.

Best regards
egonotto

Egonotto, I hope so. 

[Martin72]

I already buy logic probe when I bought SDS20104X Plus. In my case I just need to software option.

No problem, buy the bundle for 279€, sell the probes for 279...

[tautech]

The reality is, since this is a hobby for me, there aren't really any constraints. I am not an electronics engineer focused on a specific subject. If I have enough money, I would indeed consider acquiring the SDS7000A. This is because I have an inquisitive nature, and there may be projects where I could leverage the functionalities offered by the 7000 series. My projects are somewhat vague, and as my knowledge level increases, the requirements of my projects also evolve. That's why I initiated this discussion in the forum.

This ^^^

Few ever consider their future needs as their knowledge and experience grows and I commend Sercan to think in this way. 

SDS2000X Plus > SDS2000X HD is a worthy upgrade to the next level of performance and feature set which doesn't at first seem obvious other than to a 12bit platform.
Slightly smaller form factor.
Fan noise almost zero.
Full memory management capability.

SDS3000X HD I have yet to see so fan noise I cannot comment on however form factor and the memory management tools equal SDS2000X HD.
SDS3000X HD offers higher BW and active probe capabilities to support such.

[2N3055]

Sercan,

just to make sure I was not patronizing you. Quite the contrary, exactly how I said, if you think you need 4GHz BW then SDS7000A is what you should go for if you have that money and you think you need it.

As for comparison, if you have some specific question we can try to help.
Best.

[Martin72]

Further "proof" that I think prices for the 2000X HD range will, must, fall:
https://www.batronix.com/versand/oszilloskope/Siglent-SDS2354X-hd.html
1000€ more than the larger model with the same bandwidth....This won't last.

[2N3055]

The reality is, since this is a hobby for me, there aren't really any constraints. I am not an electronics engineer focused on a specific subject. If I have enough money, I would indeed consider acquiring the SDS7000A. This is because I have an inquisitive nature, and there may be projects where I could leverage the functionalities offered by the 7000 series. My projects are somewhat vague, and as my knowledge level increases, the requirements of my projects also evolve. That's why I initiated this discussion in the forum.

This ^^^

Few ever consider their future needs as their knowledge and experience grows and I commend Sercan to think in this way. 

SDS2000X Plus > SDS2000X HD is a worthy upgrade to the next level of performance and feature set which doesn't at first seem obvious other than to a 12bit platform.
Slightly smaller form factor.
Fan noise almost zero.
Full memory management capability.

SDS3000X HD I have yet to see so fan noise I cannot comment on however form factor and the memory management tools equal SDS2000X HD.
SDS3000X HD offers higher BW and active probe capabilities to support such.

SDS2000xHD is practically completely silent at normal room temps. SDS3000xHD is slightly louder, you can hear it, but it is not loud, and it is very pleasant neutral pink noise with no distinctive tones.

Mind you, they are both variable speed, so even SDS2000xHD can be quite loud if ambient temp is 37 °C..

[egonotto]

Further "proof" that I think prices for the 2000X HD range will, must, fall:
https://www.batronix.com/versand/oszilloskope/Siglent-SDS2354X-hd.html
1000€ more than the larger model with the same bandwidth....This won't last.

Hello,

If the prices for an SDS2104X HD with the SDS2XHD-BND offer were to fall accordingly, I might become weak again. But that would be very very very unreasonable of me.

Best regards
egonotto

[Martin72]

Mind you, they are both variable speed, so even SDS2000xHD can be quite loud if ambient temp is 37 °C..

I like to believe that, after all, the fan is from Delta (in the 3000X HD too, by the way, albeit a different model) - they can really go off, we use this brand(and papst "of course") for our projects.
But if you have a Noctua fan installed in the 2000X HD like I did.....
You always think the Scope is dead.

[Sercan]

just to make sure I was not patronizing you. Quite the contrary, exactly how I said, if you think you need 4GHz BW then SDS7000A is what you should go for if you have that money and you think you need it.

No problem at all, I didn't interpret your comments that way.

As for comparison, if you have some specific question we can try to help.

Regarding the product's specifications, there seems to be some confusion. For instance, while the website states that the FFT is 2 Mpts, certain documents indicate it's 4 Mpts.

I'm currently developing a mobile application that relies on FFT, and I occasionally use my signal generator and oscilloscope for verification purposes. Therefore, FFT resolution is also useful for me. Could you clarify which specification is accurate?

--

On the other hand, it would have been helpful if there were some videos or information regarding the product's new features and box contents.

[2N3055]

Further "proof" that I think prices for the 2000X HD range will, must, fall:
https://www.batronix.com/versand/oszilloskope/Siglent-SDS2354X-hd.html
1000€ more than the larger model with the same bandwidth....This won't last.

Hello,

If the prices for an SDS2104X HD with the SDS2XHD-BND offer were to fall accordingly, I might become weak again. But that would be very very very unreasonable of me.

Best regards
egonotto

Repeat after me:

I don't need more  scopes... 

[tautech]

SDS2000xHD is practically completely silent at normal room temps. SDS3000xHD is slightly louder, you can hear it, but it is not loud, and it is very pleasant neutral pink noise with no distinctive tones.

Mind you, they are both variable speed, so even SDS2000xHD can be quite loud if ambient temp is 37 °C..

Time to put away the scope and get out the beer ! 

[2N3055]

just to make sure I was not patronizing you. Quite the contrary, exactly how I said, if you think you need 4GHz BW then SDS7000A is what you should go for if you have that money and you think you need it.

No problem at all, I didn't interpret your comments that way.

As for comparison, if you have some specific question we can try to help.

Regarding the product's specifications, there seems to be some confusion. For instance, while the website states that the FFT is 2 Mpts, certain documents indicate it's 4 Mpts.

I'm currently developing a mobile application that relies on FFT, and I occasionally use my signal generator and oscilloscope for verification purposes. Therefore, FFT resolution is also useful for me. Could you clarify which specification is accurate?

--

On the other hand, it would have been helpful if there were some videos or information regarding the product's new features and box contents.

On SDS3000xHD max FFT length is 4Mpts.
There is linear and log frequency axis.
FFT is quite fast.
ERES is up to 4, both as acquisition and math function.
It has faster WFMs/s than previous gen.
4 math channels.

It is very responsive to user input.
It has extended input voltage offset ranges.

[2N3055]

SDS2000xHD is practically completely silent at normal room temps. SDS3000xHD is slightly louder, you can hear it, but it is not loud, and it is very pleasant neutral pink noise with no distinctive tones.

Mind you, they are both variable speed, so even SDS2000xHD can be quite loud if ambient temp is 37 °C..

Time to put away the scope and get out the beer ! 

 
Yes!

[Martin72]

Hello,

If the prices for an SDS2104X HD with the SDS2XHD-BND offer were to fall accordingly, I might become weak again. But that would be very very very unreasonable of me.

Nobody would buy a 350Mhz SDS2000X HD for 5000€ when they can get a SDS3034XHD for 4000€, so the price HAS to come down, at least that's what I think.
The difference between 2000X HD and 3000X HD is there, but (2N3055 can correct me) it shouldn't be as big as a change from 2000X plus to 2000X HD.

[bdunham7]

Regardless of the price, what benefits do you think I would gain from switching to the SDS3104X HD? I'm curious about your valuable opinions.

What do you want to gain?  the SDS3000X HD line looks very nice, but as far as functionality over the 2104X+ w/hacks it seems to me that the active probe connections, better UI (I'm assuming), somewhat lower front end noise w/ 12-bit ADC and increased BW (if you get that option) would be the main things you'd get.  If you aren't looking to buy the specialized Siglent probes that use the specific connector provided--or LeCroy probes with an adapter--then I'm not sure what you'd get.  With regular BNC connectors and passive probes, 500+ MHz seems to be enough scope for me.  I'm pretty sure a fully hacked SDS2104X+ is more useful than a better scope that I can't afford the options on.  I do use PA feature, for example.  The things that I'll admit I'd like to have are the gated measurements, the additional trigger modes and the 4 math channels with ERES/average/etc back in the acquisition menu rather than using up a math channel.  I assume the SDS2000X+ is that way because it is a bit short on processor power.

I'll note that the SDS3000X HD appears to have the same old 1024 x 600 screen and no direct video out.  A 12" Full-HD screen and HDMI out would impress me more.

[tautech]

If the prices for an SDS2104X HD with the SDS2XHD-BND offer were to fall accordingly, I might become weak again. But that would be very very very unreasonable of me.

There are SDS2000X HD price changes coming but not as you might think.

Best advice I can offer is to get SDS2104X HD if you are interested in this platform.....
No further comment.