What is the 6080 vacuum tube?

The 6080 (6080 / ECC230) is a triode vacuum tube designed for power/output applications. Workhorse dual power triode. OTL staple..

What is a 6080 substitute or equivalent?

Direct equivalents to the 6080 include 6AS7G, ECC230. 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 6080?

Amplification factor μ ≈ 2, transconductance gm ≈ 7 mA/V, plate resistance rp ≈ 280 Ω, max plate voltage 250 V, max plate dissipation 13 W, heater 6.3 V / 2.5 A.

Is the 6080 still in production?

Production status varies by year and manufacturer. The current Amperatubes catalog classifies the 6080 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 6080 sound like?

Workhorse dual power triode. OTL staple.. 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.

6080 ECC230 Triode Vacuum Tube

Also known as 6AS7G · ECC230

High-power directly-heated triode for single-ended amplification

Dual triodeHeater 6.3 V · 2.5 AOctal2 sectionsRCA·GE·Tung-Sol 1950

Plate dissipation: 13W
Max plate voltage: 250V
Max cathode current: 150mA
Transconductance: 7mA/V

6080

Characteristics

Datasheet values, once each. Every value cites its sheet.

HeaterIndirectly heated

Specifications of 6080 — Heater
Heater voltageVh	6.3 V
Heater currentIh	2.5 A

Limiting valuesDatasheet maximum ratings — not to be exceeded

Specifications of 6080 — Limiting values
Plate voltageVa max	250 V
Plate dissipationPa max	13 W
Cathode currentIk max	150 mA
Peak plate voltageVao	550 V
Heater–cathode voltageVhk max	300 V

Mechanical

Specifications of 6080 — Mechanical
Base	Octal
Rarity	Common
Pinout

Small signalDatasheet parameters at the reference operating point — not limits

Specifications of 6080 — Small signal
Transconductance	7 mA/V
Plate resistance	280 Ω
Amplification factor	2

Capacitances

Specifications of 6080 — Capacitances
Grid–cathode	5.5 pF
Grid–plate	8.6 pF
Plate–cathode	2.5 pF

Charactereditorial reading, not a measurement

Specifications of 6080 — Character
Gain	2%
Power	33%
Drive	100%
Linearity	95%

datasheet cited · model or editorial reading · catalogue value, no citation attached yet · nothing invented

Using this tube

Applications

SET output
Push-pull output
Headphone output
Phase splitter

OTL headphone ampAtma-Sphere M-60

Hi-Fi stereoHeadphone amp

Replace or compare

Sources

By Jean-Michel Falligan DevergneReviewed May 29, 2026Source : cap audit 2026-05-09Active model : Ayumi Nakabayashi

Manufacturer datasheets

5 manufacturer datasheets cross-checked for 6080 / ECC2305 verified

6080 DatasheetLocal mirror · PDF

SPICE models

Revision and verification status

Source: cap audit 2026-05-09
Reviewed: 2026-05-29
Status: DataModelCalc
Model: Ayumi Nakabayashi

Context

The 6080 is a dual indirectly-heated triode from RCA·GE·Tung-Sol, introduced around 1950. It provides a gain factor (μ) of 2 with 280Ω plate resistance. Commonly used in power/output applications. Workhorse dual power triode. OTL staple.

History

Introduced: 1950
Manufacturer: RCA·GE·Tung-Sol
Era: Golden Age

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