What is the 6GE5 vacuum tube?

The 6GE5 is a tetrode vacuum tube designed for sweep / power (se) applications. Great triode mode. Mu 4.4 like 2A3..

What is a 6GE5 substitute or equivalent?

Direct equivalents to the 6GE5 include 6AV5GA, 6FW5. 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 6GE5?

Amplification factor μ ≈ 4, transconductance gm ≈ 7.3 mA/V, plate resistance rp ≈ 18.0 kΩ, max plate voltage 770 V, max plate dissipation 17.5 W, heater 6.3 V / 1.2 A.

Is the 6GE5 still in production?

Production status varies by year and manufacturer. The current Amperatubes catalog classifies the 6GE5 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 6GE5 sound like?

Great triode mode. Mu 4.4 like 2A3.. 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.

6GE5 Tetrode Vacuum Tube

Also known as 6AV5GA · 6FW5

Beam power tetrode rated at 17.5W for high-power output stages

TetrodeHeater 6.3 V · 1.2 A12-pin CompactronGE·RCA 1962

Plate dissipation: 17.5W
Max plate voltage: 770V
Transconductance: 7.3mA/V

6GE5

Characteristics

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

HeaterIndirectly heated

Specifications of 6GE5 — Heater
Heater voltageVh	6.3 V
Heater currentIh	1.2 A

Limiting valuesDatasheet maximum ratings — not to be exceeded

Specifications of 6GE5 — Limiting values
Plate voltageVa max	770 V
Plate dissipationPa max	17.5 W

Mechanical

Specifications of 6GE5 — Mechanical
Base	12-pin Compactron
Rarity	Common
Pinout

Small signalDatasheet parameters at the reference operating point — not limits

Specifications of 6GE5 — Small signal
Transconductance	7.3 mA/V
Plate resistance	18 kΩ
Amplification factor	4

Capacitances

Specifications of 6GE5 — Capacitances
Input	16 pF
Grid–plate	0.34 pF
Output	7 pF

Charactereditorial reading, not a measurement

Specifications of 6GE5 — Character
Gain	4%
Power	44%
Drive	82%
Linearity	95%

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

Typical operation

Conditions published by the manufacturers, one row per condition. Nothing is computed.

Typical operation
Setup	Va	Vg2	Ia	Ig2	gm	Source
pentode connection, single-endedclass not stated	250 V	150 V	65 mA	1.8 mA	7.3 mA/V	OCR, to be checked General Electric · 1962 · p. 2 · transcript

Using this tube

Interactive loadline calculator not available for this tube yet — it needs calibrated Koren or Ayumi parameters.

Applications

High-power output

Generic tetrode sweep / power (se) stage

Replace or compare

Sources

By Jean-Michel Falligan DevergneReviewed May 29, 2026Source : vinylsavor 6GE5 datasheet

Manufacturer datasheets

3 manufacturer datasheets cross-checked for 6GE53 verified

6GE5 DatasheetLocal mirror · PDF

SPICE models

Revision and verification status

Source: vinylsavor 6GE5 datasheet
Reviewed: 2026-05-29
Status: DataModelCalc
Model: under review

Context

The 6GE5 is a indirectly-heated beam tetrode from GE·RCA, introduced around 1962. It provides a gain factor (μ) of 4 with 18.0kΩ plate resistance. Commonly used in sweep / power (se) applications. Great triode mode. Mu 4.4 like 2A3.

History

Introduced: 1962
Manufacturer: GE·RCA
Era: Late Production

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