Finally received my SDRplay RSP1B and have been comparing it against my trusty RTL-SDR V4 over the past week. Both running on same laptop with identical antenna setup - Diamond X-50A at 25 feet. The RSP1B's 14-bit ADC vs the RTL-SDR's 8-bit makes a significant difference on weak HF signals, particularly PSK31 around 14.070 MHz. However, I'm getting some strange artifacts on 2M FM that I can't seem to tune out. Anyone else experiencing similar issues with the RSP1B on VHF/UHF?

The RSP1B benefits greatly from proper gain staging - try setting the LNA gain to around 5-7 and use the baseband gain for fine tuning. The SDRplay performs well as a base station setup and has far better value for money than most alternatives in this price range.

Are you running the latest 3.14 API? CubicSDR version 0.2.8-test3 works with RTL-SDR v4 and SDRPlay RSP1B receiver if you have SDRPlay 3.14 API. The VHF artifacts might be driver related - worth checking SDR++ as an alternative to eliminate software issues.

What software are you using for the comparison? I've found CubicSDR easier to use than GQRX, and the ability to monitor multiple frequencies at once gives it an edge over GQRX for scanning applications. The RSP1B should definitely outperform the RTL-SDR on dynamic range.