What is the 6H7C vacuum tube?

The 6H7C is a triode vacuum tube designed for preamp applications. Russian octal. Warm..

What is a 6H7C substitute or equivalent?

Direct equivalents to the 6H7C include 6SN7. 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 6H7C?

Amplification factor μ ≈ 35, transconductance gm ≈ 3.4 mA/V, plate resistance rp ≈ 11.0 kΩ, max plate voltage 300 V, max plate dissipation 5.5 W, heater 6.3 V / 0.81 A.

Is the 6H7C still in production?

Production status varies by year and manufacturer. The current Amperatubes catalog classifies the 6H7C 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 6H7C sound like?

Russian octal. Warm.. 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.

6H7C Triode Vacuum Tube

Also known as 6SN7

Medium-gain triode for voltage amplification applications

Dual triodeHeater 6.3 V · 0.81 AOctal2 sectionsRussian 1950

Plate dissipation: 5.5W
Max plate voltage: 300V
Transconductance: 3.4mA/V

6H7C

Characteristics

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

HeaterIndirectly heated

Specifications of 6H7C — Heater
Heater voltageVh	6.3 V
Heater currentIh	0.81 A

Limiting valuesDatasheet maximum ratings — not to be exceeded

Specifications of 6H7C — Limiting values
Plate voltageVa max	300 V
Plate dissipationPa max	5.5 W

Mechanical

Specifications of 6H7C — Mechanical
Base	Octal
Rarity	Common
Pinout

Small signalDatasheet parameters at the reference operating point — not limits

Specifications of 6H7C — Small signal
Transconductance	3.4 mA/V
Plate resistance	11 kΩ
Amplification factor	35

Capacitances

Specifications of 6H7C — Capacitances
Grid–cathode	3.6 pF
Grid–plate	2.6 pF
Plate–cathode	4.6 pF

Charactereditorial reading, not a measurement

Specifications of 6H7C — Character
Gain	35%
Power	14%
Drive	89%
Linearity	83%

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

Using this tube

Applications

Push-pull output
Voltage amplifier
Phase splitter

Generic triode preamp stage

Hi-Fi stereo

Replace or compare

Sources

By Jean-Michel Falligan DevergneReviewed May 29, 2026Source : RCA RC-15 6N7 datasheet · Norman Koren SPICE modelActive model : Norman Koren

Manufacturer datasheets

1 manufacturer datasheets cross-checked for 6H7C1 verified

6H7C DatasheetLocal mirror · PDF

SPICE models

Revision and verification status

Source: RCA RC-15 6N7 datasheet · Norman Koren SPICE model
Reviewed: 2026-05-29
Status: DataModelCalc
Model: Norman Koren

Context

The 6H7C is a dual indirectly-heated triode from Russian, introduced around 1950. It provides a gain factor (μ) of 35 with 11.0kΩ plate resistance. Commonly used in preamp applications. Russian octal. Warm.

History

Introduced: 1950
Manufacturer: Russian
Era: Golden Age

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