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Rohde & Schwarz Oscilloscopes vs Tektronix Oscilloscopes comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary
 

Categories and Ranking

Rohde & Schwarz Oscilloscopes
Ranking in Oscilloscopes
6th
Average Rating
8.2
Number of Reviews
12
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Tektronix Oscilloscopes
Ranking in Oscilloscopes
3rd
Average Rating
8.4
Number of Reviews
23
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2024, in the Oscilloscopes category, the mindshare of Rohde & Schwarz Oscilloscopes is 6.6%, down from 8.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Tektronix Oscilloscopes is 16.2%, down from 19.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Oscilloscopes
 

Featured Reviews

AM
The ability to have both the time domain and frequency domain, where the frequency domain is a very broad spectral plot, is extremely valuable
There is certainly a learning curve. Finally, watching YouTube videos on using the instrument got me over the hump, as well as a sit down session with one of the oscilloscope experts. The Rohde & Schwarz user interface is very oriented towards drop and drag functions on the screen. Some of those are just not obvious how to use. You have to have somebody get you over the hump. My understanding is they have a newer user interface, but I haven't gotten around to upgrading the firmware on my scope in some time, so I'm not familiar with it yet. In comparison, I love the LeCroy interface. Recently, I've learned that there are ways to adapt these instruments to become a Vector Network Analyzer (VNA), which is of interest to me. If I can use probes that are not in the 50 ohm domain, which is what you would have with a normal Vector Network Analyzer, then doing power applications for me, this would be a lot safer. Using a traditional communications type Vector Network Analyzer in the 50 ohm domain and having these high DC potentials (adding the DC blocks is adding air to the test method), then having an oscilloscope type front-end which is lot more tolerant of overload, it is a lot safer. The vector network analysis that I need to do is well under a gigahertz, and the other instruments that I have sort of stop at 40 megahertz. Trying to get past 40 megahertz into the mid-hundreds of megahertz and have high impedance probes that will tolerate DC, that is really of interest to me.
CJ
High sampling rate enables it to clearly render the envelope
I wish we could turn off the automatic measurement feature of the oscilloscope, for teaching purposes. This probably sounds weird, but I think it important that students get familiar with the waveforms and actually count divisions. This gives a feel for how many digits are really significant, that noise can be part of signals, that it helps to increase the sensitivity to fill as much of the screen as possible and maybe notice artifacts. e.g. Students might be asked to measure frequency response of a circuit with a uA 741 op amp. If the signal level chosen is too high and students don't actually watch the waveform they may not realize the numbers come from the slew-rate limit and not the frequency response. I actually recognized the problem of the seductiveness of digital displays in another lab where students used a lock-in amplifier with both a digital display and a d'Arsonval meter. The voltage went through large changes in value, and students were happily writing down the numbers when the instrument was on a totally inappropriate range. So for the first electrical-engineering lab I think forcing the students to rely on measuring the waveform themselves and not relying on the scope to do it for them gets them started well.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"Most of the features offered are free, like serial data analyzers or jitter measurements."
"The characterization of RF channels was helpful... The user interface was very simple to operate and there were a lot of tutorials."
"The noise sensitivity: It has a low noise floor."
"The noise floor for reference clocks is pretty low, so this instrument is able to measure it where others cannot."
"The product is quite reliable and straightforward to use. Typically, there are no households that we have to set up."
"It has a very low noise floor."
"It is easy to connect with, accurate, reliable, and hardly fails."
"The ability to have both the time domain and frequency domain, where the frequency domain is a very broad spectral plot, is extremely valuable."
"Valuable features include that it's multi-channel... and has bandwidth filtering. The user interface is good."
"It provides you the best way to view information without opening multiple applications, like a single solution."
"When I was looking for a scope for that lab, that five subdivisions per division was important."
"It has very fast response with deep memory."
"I trust Tektronix for its accuracy. The probes of solution fit my application. E.g., the speed of probes, the way that it is using probes with designs, and the probes' size."
"This solution provides high confidence in the data being presented in the measurement to inform a design decision going forward."
"The most valuable features are everything they do. We primarily use the O-scopes and they help us figure out what's going wrong with our scope out signals."
"The most valuable feature is the automation component in setting up some of these measurements."
 

Cons

"Sometimes, it's difficult to find menus on the user interface."
"We would like to have autotracking and auto error tracking for regression testing. We would like to know what error happened, when it happened, and during what scenario (such as setup), because right now we have to manually look at when it happened."
"It would be good if they would try to automate most things because it has more pressing buttons and repetitive work. If there were automation scripts that they could provide, that would improve things."
"The user interface could be improved, e.g., the documentation on the menus. I have to open a separate document to figure out the functionality sometimes."
"They could use an RDA interface."
"There was a learning curve. Their use interface and the way that their products work are not intuitive to somebody who switches from other vendors."
"The Rohde & Schwarz user interface is very oriented towards drop and drag functions on the screen. Some of those are just not obvious how to use. You have to have somebody get you over the hump."
"I'm against the Windows-based tools. Now everybody is running scopes, VNAs, and all their tools based on Windows. I don't want to see that in the future."
"If they could make the user interface even more intuitive that would help. If they could make it easier to read, to know where the buttons are, that's all I need."
"There is room for improvement when it comes to the screen size. I don't really have a lot of complaints but screen size would be the biggest thing."
"On the source side, their AWGs don't have enough bandwidth. They need to increase the bandwidth of their AWGs, meaning they have to have a faster sample rate."
"I would like to see more integration into machine learning because that's what we try to apply it to."
"The power of the computer inside is weak. Sometimes I send a lot of data and I'll feel the lag... I would like to see them improve the processing power."
"It needs one button and every time you push it, you get whatever you need."
"I would like to see an app from this company for test fixtures."
"We are looking for an Intel platform with the newest chipset."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"When we chose this, the price was really reasonable, and it is a high-end product. It had a high price, but we understood that because it has 8 port, the same noise floor (as the competition) with double the measurement capabilities and a cheaper price."
"The pricing is way too expensive."
"The pricing is expensive, but very fair when you look at the technology that you are getting. These are higher-end pieces which have a ton of engineering in them that is not evident on the package. However, you could imagine the amount of time that the vendor has spent on the firmware, optimizing the internal layout, developing custom ICs, etc. They're releasing a mass produced product, but these things are built to last."
"The pricing is very expensive."
"One of the things I liked less, not only me but also my company, was that Rohde & Schwarz are very expensive... There are solutions that are almost the same that sell at better prices."
"The pricing is very competitive."
"Buying Rohde & Schwarz gear is like buying a Mercedes. It raises eyebrows when you're asking for that level of performance."
"The pricing is too high."
"They're all pretty expensive. If everything costs that much, I suppose the pricing is fair."
"It is a great price for a great product."
"They have academic pricing which is helpful."
"The pricing is okay. It was within our budget."
"The prices are compatible with what they offer. Going forward, I would like them to become more competitive and dominant with their pricing in the market."
"Tektronix Oscilloscopes are really expensive for small businesses. The low-end scopes don't really compare performance-wise to what the other companies provide, like RIGOL . Mostly that just has to do with the software options."
"Isolated probes are good to have, as most of the scopes don't have it. It drives up the cost when you have to buy isolated probes."
"It's cost-effective... It might cost a lot of money, but if we need it we buy it."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
22%
University
10%
Computer Software Company
9%
Educational Organization
8%
Manufacturing Company
19%
University
12%
Educational Organization
9%
Computer Software Company
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Also Known As

RT Series
TBS Series, TDS Series, MDO Series, MSO Series
 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Rohde & Schwarz Oscilloscopes vs. Tektronix Oscilloscopes and other solutions. Updated: October 2024.
816,660 professionals have used our research since 2012.