Run-of-the-mill oscilloscopes have 8-bit (256 step) A/Ds to display the analog signals they are seeing. But there are many test situations where engineers and technicians need to look at very small signal variations on relatively large signals. Small sensor changes, audio work, power supply ripple, and other applications where detail matters come to mind. Testing these signals with a typical oscilloscope has limitations both with their A./D converters and quietness (low-noise) of the front-end amplifier. An 8-bit oscilloscope with 256 steps on a 10V range displays a minimum difference of 39mV. For the situations above, where observing fine variations in a signal really matter, a higher sensitivity is vital. Unfortunately, high resolution can typically add to the scope's cost. A quality oscilloscope with 12-bit (4096 step) resolution must also have well-designed low-noise input amplifiers too.
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