What is a 6N17B substitute or equivalent?

Direct equivalents to the 6N17B include Soviet submini 12AX7-class high-μ dual triode (no exact pin-compatible equivalent). 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 6N17B?

Amplification factor μ ≈ 75, transconductance gm ≈ 3.8 mA/V, plate resistance rp ≈ 19.7 kΩ, max plate voltage 250 V, max plate dissipation 0.9 W, heater 6.3 V / 0.4 A.

Is the 6N17B still in production?

Production status varies by year and manufacturer. The current Amperatubes catalog classifies the 6N17B 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 6N17B sound like?

Soviet subminiature high-μ dual triode (μ≈90), flying-lead 8-pin. Functional cousin of the 12AX7/ECC83 in service but in a tiny unsoldered envelope; popular for ultra-compact phono / preamp builds.. 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

←6N17B

← 6N16B 6N1P →Compare…

6N17B 6N17B / 6Н17Б Triode Vacuum Tube

Q: What is the 6N17B vacuum tube?

The 6N17B (6N17B / 6Н17Б) is a triode vacuum tube designed for preamp (high-μ) applications. Soviet subminiature high-μ dual triode (μ≈90), flying-lead 8-pin. Functional cousin of the 12AX7/ECC83 in service but in a tiny unsoldered envelope; popular for ultra-compact phono / preamp builds..

Dual triode6.3V / 0.4A9-pin Submini (flying leads)SPICE

SourceRussian 6Н17Б datasheetReviewed2026-05-29StatusDataModelCalcModelNorman KorenPDF

Medium-gain triode for voltage amplification applications

Datasheet ↗SPICE

6N17B / 6Н17Б — Russian — triode vacuum tube — (1965)

19.7kΩ

3.8mA/V

2.9pF

1.6pF

1.70pF

GAIN75%

POWER2%

DRIVE80%

LINEARITY63%

SPECIFICATIONS

Heater6.3 V · 0.4 A

Max Plate Voltage250 V

Pa max0.9 W

Gain Factor75

gm3.8 mA/V

rp19.7 kΩ

Inter-electrode capacitances

Cgk2.9 pF

Cgp1.6 pF

Cpk1.7 pF

Pinout9-pin Submini (flying leads)

Era1965

RarityCommon

HEATER6.3V / 0.4A

MAX PLATE250V / 0.9W

BASEsubmini-9

SECTIONS2 (dual)

Source datasheets

1 manufacturer datasheets cross-checked for 6N17B / 6Н17Б

1 verified

TYPICAL OPERATING POINT

Va135V

Ia2.04mA

Vg-1V

Pd0.28W

RL39kΩ

Av36.6dB

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The 6N17B is a dual indirectly-heated triode from Russian, introduced around 1965. It provides a gain factor (μ) of 75 with 19.7kΩ plate resistance. Commonly used in preamp (high-μ) applications. Soviet subminiature high-μ dual triode (μ≈90), flying-lead 8-pin. Functional cousin of the 12AX7/ECC83 in service but in a tiny unsoldered envelope; popular for ultra-compact phono / preamp builds.

APPLICATIONS

Voltage amplifierHigh-gain preampPhase splitter

Generic triode preamp (high-μ) stage

• Hi-Fi stereo• Studio/recording

HISTORY

Introduced1965ManufacturerRussian

Late Production

6N17B Datasheet

Frank's Electron Tube Pages · PDF

↗

METRIX TESTER

Test this tube on a Metrix

SIMILAR TRIODES

View all →

01APreamp 100THTransmitting (SET)101DPower (SET)10YPower (SET)12AT7Driver 12AU7Line / Headphone 12AX7Preamp 12AY7Preamp