Suggest oscilloscope for DIY audio projects

[thermionic]

Ok, I've found several candidates so far. Here they are:

1. B&K PRECISION - BK2530B - OSCILLOSCOPE, DIGITAL, 2X25MHZ, 500MS/S507
I like that it's B&K, but it's only 25MHz and 500MS. Min. sensitivity is 2mV

2. GW INSTEK - GDS-2062 - OSCILLOSCOPE, DSO, 2 CHANNEL, 60MHZ
I've no idea how good the insteks are. But this one is 60MHz. Min. sensitivity is 2mV

3. TEKTRONIX - TDS1002C-EDU - OSCILLOSCOPE, 60MHZ, 2 CH, 1GS/S
Rather expensive, and looks like an introductory model. Min. sensitivity is 2mV

4. TEKTRONIX - TDS2001C - OSCILLOSCOPE, 50MHZ, 2-CH
Another Tek. It's actually cheaper than 1002. Min. sensitivity is 2mV

5. TENMA - 72-8710 - DSO 100MHZ 2CH, 178MM (7 IN) SCREEN
Not sure if TENMA is any good. But this one is 100MHz. Min. sensitivity is 1mV.

I'm a bit lost right now. All scopes look good, but which one is better?... Any thoughts?

For what it's worth, if I only had one scope it'd probably be a green-screen analogue. Tek, Hameg and Kenwood are all good candidates for secondhand. Be careful with some of the more affordable digital scopes, in that the screen refresh rate can be quite slow... This can make it difficult to get a clear picture of some waveforms. Entry-level digi scopes can also be noisier than a good analogue scope for similar money - so signals below 5mV can morph into fuzz. I have two scopes: a digital Tek TDS2014 and a Kenwood 20MHz 4025 'beginner's scope'. If I really had to lose one it'd probably be the Tek...  It gets more use than the Kenwood (the measurement functions are really useful) because I have an external analyser; but if I were relying on one scope for everything I'd have to go with the Kenwood because it gives me a clean image of signals below 1mV - the same cannot be said of the much more expensive Tek...

I sold the spare Hameg I had to a forum member. It was a nice scope. I really like Hameg gear. Is all the gear still built in Germany? Any Hameg built in Germany around the '80s / '90s will be reliable if treated well.

Justin

 

[Ilya]

I'm looking at Rigol DS2072 and like it very much.
Don't have a chance to check it out "live", so to speak, but all the videos and reviews look very promising. This is, of course, another price range than the previous scopes, but I feel it would be $$$ well spent...

 

[mhelin]

I'm looking at Rigol DS2072 and like it very much.
Don't have a chance to check it out "live", so to speak, but all the videos and reviews look very promising. This is, of course, another price range than the previous scopes, but I feel it would be $$$ well spent...

See http://nut-bolt.nl/2012/8-oscilloscopes-under-400-euro/

I'm considering Owon SDS7102 for myself, review here: http://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/review-of-owon-sds7102/

DS2072 looks good anyway:
http://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/first-impressions-and-review-of-the-rigol-ds2072-ds2000-series-dso/

 

[audiomixer]

I have been looking at the DS2072 too, but it's just a tad too expensive for me right now. on the other hand some higher spec'ed second hand analog scopes raise quite some money on ebay, not always a bargain either.
the owon seems no match to the new rigol, apparently.

- michael

 

[newprint]

I'm looking at Rigol DS2072 and like it very much.
Don't have a chance to check it out "live", so to speak, but all the videos and reviews look very promising. This is, of course, another price range than the previous scopes, but I feel it would be $$$ well spent...

Илья, check your PM. Not sure if you got it.

 

[Ilya]

To sum this up, I've dicede to go with Rigol DS2072.
I'm very happy with it.

 

[audiomixer]

I have a DS2102 right now on my bench, considering a buy too so I asked for a demo. I am troubleshooting a friends digital project right now and its cool to be able to look at a 12-odd Mhz master clock....

I will have to return the thing but I a really thinking of getting the 70Mhz one. The build quality is very nice indeed.

- Michael

 

[thomasdf]

Sorry for digging up this old thread 10 years later haha !
I am toying with the idea of finally getting an oscilloscope for my bench... I'm a bit on a budget, I'd like something compact (in terms of depth especially) to do some troubleshooting on various types of circuit including tube ones, and also calibrating tape recorders.
I'd like a standalone unit so I can stay away from a computer.
Thanks a lot
thomas

 

[user 37518]

I am a sucker for Tektronix, and most of the time I prefer a low-end Tektronix than a high-end Chinese scope, Keysight are also some of my favorites but the cheapest Keysight scope is way off my budget. However, I just bought this one and I think its a bargain: https://www.tequipment.net/Instek/MDO-2102AG/Digital-Oscilloscopes/

I've seen it in action, and it is great. It has 2 AWG's, a spectrum analyzer (no tracking generator thou), 2 channels, 100MHz BW, it can perform Bode plots, etc.. very very nice, if you want more channels or higher bandwidth you can pay extra, but to me, that model has just the right amount of features VS price ratio. The spectrum analyzer might not be useful for you if Audio is your only cup of tea, the manual says it works from DC up to 1 GHz, but that is odd, most of the spectrum analyzers I've seen have a 9KHz lower limit, however, there is a version with out it because that is meant mostly for RF. I do RF, so I like it. There are also versions of the same scope with DMM and PSU.

 

[Ike Zimbel]

Wow, that's a pretty cool box, almost covers both my worlds (RF and audio). How do you access the SA? I didn't see an antenna input mentioned in the specs.

 

[user 37518]

Wow, that's a pretty cool box, almost covers both my worlds (RF and audio). How do you access the SA? I didn't see an antenna input mentioned in the specs.

It seems it uses the same input as the probe, which means BNC and also you would need a termination if you want 50ohm input. Which is kinda nice if you ask me, it means you have the freedom to have any input impedance, unlike most SA which are fixed at 50ohms.