So, compared to the SDRplay, its crap? Or are these problems inherent to SDRPlay also?
I don't have SDRPlay, so I cannot say if these problems are present in SDRPlay or not. According to other users SDRPlay don't have some spur issues, which is present in MSi.SDR. So some difference between MSi.SDR and SDRPlay is definitely present.
I have milked the most performace out of my 8 bit RTLSDR that it is possible to get. Its impossible to do much better without more bits.
RTLSDR ADC works as expected, but MSi.SDR works a little different and strange, it can handle a little higher signal level on the input with no overload, but with higher noise floor. MSi.SDR has the same SNR or even worse. I suspect that MSi.SDR may use 8 bit ADC with dynamic attenuator which is enabled when input level is too high.
145 MHz (lower part of two meters) is particularly problematic on the RTLSDR for me too. 144 MHz is even worse.
No. I'm talking about problems with 145 MHz on MSi.SDR.
I cannot hear weak stations on 145 MHz with MSi.SDR.
RTLSDRv3 can hear it with no problem...
On short wave both have the same sensitivity and works almost the same. MSi.SDR don't have some mirror channels across 14 MHz which is present on RTLSDR. But MSi.SDR has a lot of huge spurs near 30 MHz.
I also forgot to say that MSi.SDR has a bit problem with DC offset between I/Q channels. It is so bad, that you cannot remove it even by using wideband DC filter in HDSDR. This issue is masked in SDRuno, because it has always enabled DC filter which cannot be disabled. But in HDSDR you can disable DC filter and see how it really bad.
RTLSDRv3 has smaller DC offset and it can be easily removed with IIR filter with just 1 Hz bandwidth. But for MSi.SDR you cannot remove it even with 25-100 Hz IIR filter.
Another issue present in my MSi.SDR is sound crackle pulses across entire bandwidth. It's frequency depends on LO frequency. I'm not sure if this is just defective MSi chips or this problem exists on all MSi.SDR devices. But it is very annoying and prevents comfortable radio listening.
And another issue with MSi.SDR (at least my one), it works unstable at 10 MHz bandwidth.
When I switch to 10 MHz BW, noise floor jumps like crazy. So, 10 MHz mode is unusable on MSi.SDR.