What is the ECL82-T vacuum tube?

The ECL82-T (ECL82 (Triode)) is a triode vacuum tube designed for preamp applications. Triode section..

What is a ECL82-T substitute or equivalent?

Direct equivalents to the ECL82-T include 6BM8. 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 ECL82-T?

Amplification factor μ ≈ 70, transconductance gm ≈ 2.5 mA/V, plate resistance rp ≈ 27.0 kΩ, max plate voltage 300 V, max plate dissipation 1 W, heater 6.3 V / 0.78 A.

Is the ECL82-T still in production?

Production status varies by year and manufacturer. The current Amperatubes catalog classifies the ECL82-T 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 ECL82-T sound like?

Triode section.. 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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ECL82-T ECL82 (Triode) Triode Vacuum Tube

Triode6.3V / 0.78A9-pin NovalSPICE

SourcePhilips ECL82/6BM8 datasheet (drtube)Reviewed2026-05-29StatusDataModelCalcModelNorman KorenPDF

Medium-gain triode for voltage amplification applications

Datasheet ↗SPICE

ECL82 (Triode) — Philips — triode vacuum tube — (1955)

27.0kΩ

2.5mA/V

2.7pF

4.3pF

4.30pF

GAIN70%

POWER3%

DRIVE73%

LINEARITY65%

SPECIFICATIONS

Heater6.3 V · 0.78 A

Max Plate Voltage300 V

Pa max1 W

Gain Factor70

gm2.5 mA/V

rp27.0 kΩ

Inter-electrode capacitances

Cgk2.7 pF

Cgp4.3 pF

Cpk4.3 pF

Pinout9-pin Noval

Era1955

RarityCommon

HEATER6.3V / 0.78A

MAX PLATE300V / 1W

BASEnoval

Source datasheets

6 manufacturer datasheets cross-checked for ECL82 (Triode)

6 verified

Triode-connectedPhilipsDecember 1969 / January 1969 (sheets 1969.12 & 1969.01 ; FP page 1999.08.15)

Specs when the screen grid (g2) is tied to the anode — the tube acts as a triode.

100 V

Vg1

0 V

3.5 mA

2.2 mA/V

16 Ω

According to Philips (Data handbook, Maintenance type) (December 1969 / January 1969 (sheets 1969.12 & 1969.01 ; FP page 1999.08.15)): « en triode »

TYPICAL OPERATING POINT

Va150V

Ia1.49mA

Vg-1.5V

Pd0.22W

RL54kΩ

Av33dB

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The ECL82-T is a indirectly-heated triode from Philips, introduced around 1955. It provides a gain factor (μ) of 70 with 27.0kΩ plate resistance. Commonly used in preamp applications. Triode section.

APPLICATIONS

Voltage amplifierHigh-gain preamp

Generic triode preamp stage

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

HISTORY

Introduced1955ManufacturerPhilips

Golden Age

ECL82-T Datasheet

Local mirror · PDF

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METRIX TESTER

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