What is a 6EM7 substitute or equivalent?

Direct equivalents to the 6EM7 include 6EA7, 6GL7. 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 6EM7?

Amplification factor μ ≈ 68, transconductance gm ≈ 1.6 mA/V, plate resistance rp ≈ 40.0 kΩ, max plate voltage 330 V, max plate dissipation 10 W, heater 6.3 V / 0.925 A.

Is the 6EM7 still in production?

Production status varies by year and manufacturer. The current Amperatubes catalog classifies the 6EM7 as Common 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 6EM7 sound like?

Asymmetric noval dual: one high-μ driver + one low-μ output section. Allows a complete one-tube SE amplifier (driver + output) per channel.. 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 29, 2026

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6EM7 6EM7 / 6EA7 Triode Vacuum Tube

Q: What is the 6EM7 vacuum tube?

The 6EM7 (6EM7 / 6EA7) is a triode vacuum tube designed for driver + power applications. Asymmetric noval dual: one high-μ driver + one low-μ output section. Allows a complete one-tube SE amplifier (driver + output) per channel..

Dual triode6.3V / 0.925AOctal

SourceRCA 6EM7 datasheetReviewed2026-05-29StatusDataModelCalcModelunder reviewPDF

Power triode delivering 10W for push-pull and SET designs

Datasheet ↗

6EM7 / 6EA7 — RCA·Sylvania·GE — triode vacuum tube — (1957)

Asymmetric sections — each unit has its own characteristics

Unit 1 — High-μ (driver)

40.0kΩ

1.6mA/V

Pd max2.5W

2.2pF

4.8pF

0.60pF

Unit 2 — Low-μ (output)

5.4

750Ω

7.2mA/V

Pd max7.5W

7.0pF

10.0pF

1.80pF

SPECIFICATIONS

Heater6.3 V · 0.925 A

Max Plate Voltage330 V

Pa max10 W

Gain Factor68

gm1.6 mA/V

rp40.0 kΩ

Inter-electrode capacitances

Cgk2.2 pF

Cgp4.8 pF

Cpk0.6 pF

PinoutOctal

Era1957

RarityCommon

HEATER6.3V / 0.925A

MAX PLATE330V / 10W

BASEoctal

SECTIONS2 (dual)

Source datasheets

2 manufacturer datasheets cross-checked for 6EM7 / 6EA7

2 verified

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The 6EM7 is a dual indirectly-heated triode from RCA·Sylvania·GE, introduced around 1957. It provides a gain factor (μ) of 68 with 40.0kΩ plate resistance. Commonly used in driver + power applications. Asymmetric noval dual: one high-μ driver + one low-μ output section. Allows a complete one-tube SE amplifier (driver + output) per channel.

APPLICATIONS

SET outputPush-pull outputHigh-gain preampPhase splitter

Generic triode driver + power stage

• Hi-Fi stereo• Studio/recording

HISTORY

Introduced1957ManufacturerRCA·Sylvania·GE

Golden Age

6EM7 Datasheet

Local mirror · PDF

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METRIX TESTER

Test this tube on a Metrix

SPICE model not yet available. Loadline calculator requires calibrated Koren parameters.

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