What is the EL84 vacuum tube?

The EL84 (EL84 / 6BQ5) is a pentode vacuum tube designed for power (pp/se) applications. Sweet, musical. Vox AC30 soul..

What is a EL84 substitute or equivalent?

Direct equivalents to the EL84 include 6BQ5. 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 EL84?

Amplification factor μ ≈ 19, transconductance gm ≈ 11.3 mA/V, plate resistance rp ≈ 38.0 kΩ, max plate voltage 300 V, max plate dissipation 12 W, heater 6.3 V / 0.76 A.

Is the EL84 still in production?

Production status varies by year and manufacturer. The current Amperatubes catalog classifies the EL84 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 EL84 sound like?

Sweet, musical. Vox AC30 soul.. 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

←EL84

← EL803 EL86 →Compare → 6BQ5

EL84 EL84 / 6BQ5 Pentode Vacuum Tube

Pentode6.3V / 0.76A9-pin NovalSPICE

SourceMullard·Philips datasheetReviewed2026-05-29StatusDataModelCalcModelKoren v1PDF

Power pentode delivering up to 12W in pentode, UL, or triode mode

Datasheet ↗SPICE

EL84 / 6BQ5 — Mullard·Philips — pentode vacuum tube — (1953)

38.0kΩ

11.3mA/V

10.8pF

0.5pF

6.50pF

GAIN19%

POWER30%

DRIVE62%

LINEARITY91%

SPECIFICATIONS

Heater6.3 V · 0.76 A

Max Plate Voltage300 V

Pa max12 W

Gain Factor19

gm11.3 mA/V

rp38.0 kΩ

Inter-electrode capacitances

Cgk10.8 pF

Cgp0.5 pF

Cpk6.5 pF

Pinout9-pin Noval

Era1953

RarityCommon

HEATER6.3V / 0.76A

MAX PLATE300V / 12W

BASEnoval

Source datasheets

9 manufacturer datasheets cross-checked for EL84 / 6BQ5

9 verified

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The EL84 (6BQ5) is a miniature power pentode delivering about 6W per tube in single-ended or 14W per pair in push-pull, developed by Philips/Mullard in the early 1950s. It is the output tube of the Vox AC15 and AC30 amplifiers, giving those amps their chimey, harmonically rich character with a distinctive Class A compression. The tube's compact size and modest power supply requirements make it ideal for small to medium-power amplifiers. Despite its diminutive stature, a well-designed EL84 push-pull amplifier can drive moderately efficient speakers with surprising authority and musical engagement.

APPLICATIONS

Power output

Vox AC15/AC30Fender Blues JuniorMatchless DC-30

• Guitar amp

VS 6BQ5

μ -5%Rp +0%Pd 0%Full comparison →

HISTORY

Introduced1953ManufacturerMullard·Philips

Golden Age

EL84 Datasheet

Local mirror · PDF

↗

METRIX TESTER

Test this tube on a Metrix

CLASSIC CIRCUITS

Hi-Fi Classic

Mullard 5-10

10W

Mullard 10W push-pull ultralinear amplifier. Compact, musical design widely cloned. Sweet midrange character.

PPUL 43%Vb 300V · Vg -7.5V · Vg₂ 300V · RL 8kΩ

Mullard 5-10 Circuit

Guitar Amp

Vox AC30

30W

Vox AC30/6 with Top Boost. Four EL84 cathode-biased push-pull. Chimey, jangly cleans with rich harmonic overdrive. Beatles, Queen, U2.

PPVb 320V · Vg -8V · Vg₂ 320V · RL 8kΩ

Vox AC30 Schematic

SIMILAR PENTODES

View all →

12SJ7Preamp 307APower/Output 310APreamp 35LR6Sweep / Power 47Power/Output 4P1LPower (SET output) — DHT pentode 5639Video / wideband (power)5654RF / Preamp

EL84 EL84 / 6BQ5 Pentode Vacuum Tube

Source datasheets

Test this tube on a Metrix

Featured in these amplifiers