What is the EC8020 vacuum tube?

The EC8020 is a triode vacuum tube designed for preamp applications. Ultra-high Gm frame-grid..

What is a EC8020 substitute or equivalent?

Direct equivalents to the EC8020 include None. 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 EC8020?

Amplification factor μ ≈ 55, transconductance gm ≈ 60 mA/V, plate resistance rp ≈ 1.1 kΩ, max plate voltage 300 V, max plate dissipation 8 W, heater 6.3 V / 0.28 A.

Is the EC8020 still in production?

Production status varies by year and manufacturer. The current Amperatubes catalog classifies the EC8020 as Rare 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 EC8020 sound like?

Ultra-high Gm frame-grid.. 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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EC8020 Triode Vacuum Tube

Dual triode6.3V / 0.28A9-pin NovalSPICE

SourceTelefunken EC8020 datasheet (vinylsavor)Reviewed2026-05-29StatusDataModelCalcModelNorman KorenPDF

Medium-gain triode for driver and line stage applications

Datasheet ↗SPICE

EC8020 — Telefunken — triode vacuum tube — (1962)

1.1kΩ

60.0mA/V

12.0pF

3.3pF

0.23pF

GAIN55%

POWER20%

DRIVE99%

LINEARITY73%

SPECIFICATIONS

Heater6.3 V · 0.28 A

Max Plate Voltage300 V

Pa max8 W

Gain Factor55

gm60 mA/V

rp1.1 kΩ

Inter-electrode capacitances

Cgk12 pF

Cgp3.3 pF

Cpk0.23 pF

Pinout9-pin Noval

Era1962

RarityRare

HEATER6.3V / 0.28A

MAX PLATE300V / 8W

BASEnoval

SECTIONS2 (dual)

Source datasheets

1 manufacturer datasheets cross-checked for EC8020

1 verified

TYPICAL OPERATING POINT

Va200V

Ia25mA

Vg-2.82V

Pd5W

RL2kΩ

Av32.3dB

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The EC8020 is a dual indirectly-heated triode from Telefunken, introduced around 1962. It provides a gain factor (μ) of 55 with 1100Ω plate resistance. Commonly used in preamp applications. Ultra-high Gm frame-grid.

APPLICATIONS

Push-pull outputVoltage amplifierHeadphone outputHigh-gain preampPhase splitter

Generic triode preamp stage

• Hi-Fi stereo• Headphone amp• Studio/recording

HISTORY

Introduced1962ManufacturerTelefunken

Late Production

EC8020 Datasheet

Local mirror · PDF

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METRIX TESTER

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