What is the ECC82 vacuum tube?

The ECC82 is a triode vacuum tube designed for line applications. European 12AU7..

What is a ECC82 substitute or equivalent?

Direct equivalents to the ECC82 include 12AU7. 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 ECC82?

Amplification factor μ ≈ 17, transconductance gm ≈ 2.2 mA/V, plate resistance rp ≈ 7.7 kΩ, max plate voltage 300 V, max plate dissipation 2.75 W, heater 6.3 V / 0.3 A.

Is the ECC82 still in production?

Production status varies by year and manufacturer. The current Amperatubes catalog classifies the ECC82 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 ECC82 sound like?

European 12AU7.. 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

←ECC82

← ECC81 ECC83 →Compare → 12AU7

ECC82 Triode Vacuum Tube

Dual triode6.3V / 0.3A9-pin NovalSPICE

SourceMullard·Philips datasheetReviewed2026-05-29StatusDataModelCalcModelKoren v1PDF

Medium-gain triode for driver and line stage applications

Datasheet ↗SPICE

ECC82 — Mullard·Philips — triode vacuum tube — (1946)

7.7kΩ

2.2mA/V

1.8pF

1.5pF

0.37pF

GAIN17%

POWER7%

DRIVE92%

LINEARITY92%

SPECIFICATIONS

Heater6.3 V · 0.3 A

Max Plate Voltage300 V

Pa max2.75 W

Gain Factor17

gm2.2 mA/V

rp7.7 kΩ

Inter-electrode capacitances

Cgk1.8 pF

Cgp1.5 pF

Cpk0.37 pF

Pinout9-pin Noval

Era1946

RarityCommon

HEATER6.3V / 0.3A

MAX PLATE300V / 2.75W

BASEnoval

SECTIONS2 (dual)

Source datasheets

6 manufacturer datasheets cross-checked for ECC82

6 verified

TYPICAL OPERATING POINT

SPICE model(2 available)2 .subckt available ↓

Va180V

Ia5.97mA

Vg-6.62V

Pd1.07W

RL12kΩ

Av21.5dB

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The ECC82 is a dual indirectly-heated triode from Mullard·Philips, introduced around 1946. It provides a gain factor (μ) of 17 with 7700Ω plate resistance. Commonly used in line applications. European 12AU7.

APPLICATIONS

Line stagePhase splitter

McIntosh C22 line stageMarantz 8B driver

• Guitar amp• Headphone amp

VS 12AU7

μ 0%Rp +0%Pd 0%Full comparison →

HISTORY

Introduced1946ManufacturerMullard·Philips

Golden Age