What is the 30A-EmissionLabs vacuum tube?

The 30A-EmissionLabs (30A EML) is a triode vacuum tube designed for power (set) applications. EML DHT in the Type 30 family; higher μ than 2A3 and not a 2A3 equivalent..

What is a 30A-EmissionLabs substitute or equivalent?

Direct equivalents to the 30A-EmissionLabs include Type 30 family (μ=8); NOT a 2A3 equivalent (2A3 has μ≈4). These share the same pinout and operating envelope, so they can usually be swapped without circuit changes — though batch-to-batch variations between manufacturers (NOS vs current production) may shift the sonic character noticeably.

What are the key specifications of the 30A-EmissionLabs?

Amplification factor μ ≈ 8, transconductance gm ≈ 4.5 mA/V, plate resistance rp ≈ 1.8 kΩ, max plate voltage 450 V, max plate dissipation 11 W, heater 5 V / 1.5 A.

Is the 30A-EmissionLabs still in production?

Production status varies by year and manufacturer. The current Amperatubes catalog classifies the 30A-EmissionLabs as Sought-after availability. NOS (new-old-stock) examples from RCA, Mullard, Tung-Sol, GE, Sylvania and Telefunken trade among collectors; modern production where it exists comes mostly from JJ Electronic, Electro-Harmonix, Tung-Sol (New Sensor), Genalex, and a handful of small-batch makers.

What does the 30A-EmissionLabs sound like?

EML DHT in the Type 30 family; higher μ than 2A3 and not a 2A3 equivalent.. Sonic character also depends heavily on the circuit operating point, the surrounding tubes in the stage, and the output transformer when present — use the interactive loadline calculator on this page to explore the trade-offs.

By Jean-Michel Falligan Devergne · Reviewed May 10, 2026

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30A-EmissionLabs 30A EML Triode Vacuum Tube

Triode5V / 1.5AUX-4SPICE

SourceEmission Labs design notes (EML-12B-20A-20B-30A) · external audit feedback · wording corrected: not 2A3 equivalentReviewed2026-05-10StatusDataModelCalcModelNorman KorenPDF

Power triode delivering 11W for push-pull and SET designs

Datasheet ↗SPICE

30A EML — Emission Labs — triode vacuum tube — (2005)

1.8kΩ

4.5mA/V

10.0pF

16.0pF

8.00pF

GAIN8%

POWER28%

DRIVE98%

LINEARITY95%

SPECIFICATIONS

Heater5 V · 1.5 A

Max Plate Voltage450 V

Pa max11 W

Gain Factor8

gm4.5 mA/V

rp1.8 kΩ

Inter-electrode capacitances

Cgk10 pF

Cgp16 pF

Cpk8 pF

PinoutUX-4

Era2005

RaritySought-after

HEATER5V / 1.5A

MAX PLATE450V / 11W

BASEux4

TYPICAL OPERATING POINT

Va375V

Ia22.8mA

Vg-51.87484920199999V

Pd8.55W

RL4kΩ

Av13.2dB

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The 30A-EmissionLabs is a directly-heated triode from Emission Labs, introduced around 2005. It provides a gain factor (μ) of 8 with 1780Ω plate resistance. Commonly used in power (set) applications. EML DHT in the Type 30 family; higher μ than 2A3 and not a 2A3 equivalent.

APPLICATIONS

SET outputPush-pull outputHeadphone output

Generic triode power (set) stage

• Hi-Fi stereo• Headphone amp

HISTORY

Introduced2005ManufacturerEmission Labs

Modern

30A-EmissionLabs Datasheet

Frank's Electron Tube Pages · PDF

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METRIX TESTER

Test this tube on a Metrix

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