What is the 6V6S vacuum tube?

The 6V6S is a tetrode vacuum tube designed for power (se/pp) applications. Sovtek production..

What is a 6V6S substitute or equivalent?

Direct equivalents to the 6V6S include 6V6GT. 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 6V6S?

Transconductance gm ≈ 4.1 mA/V, plate resistance rp ≈ 50.0 kΩ, max plate voltage 500 V, max plate dissipation 14 W, heater 6.3 V / 0.5 A.

Is the 6V6S still in production?

Production status varies by year and manufacturer. The current Amperatubes catalog classifies the 6V6S 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 6V6S sound like?

Sovtek production.. 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.

6V6S Tetrode Vacuum Tube

Also known as 6V6GT

Beam power tetrode rated at 14W for high-power output stages

TetrodeHeater 6.3 V · 0.5 AOctalSovtek 1995

Plate dissipation: 14W
Max plate voltage: 500V
Max screen voltage: 450V
Transconductance: 4.1mA/V

6V6S

Characteristics

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

HeaterIndirectly heated

Specifications of 6V6S — Heater
Heater voltageVh	6.3 V
Heater currentIh	0.5 A

Limiting valuesDatasheet maximum ratings — not to be exceeded

Specifications of 6V6S — Limiting values
Plate voltageVa max	500 V
Screen voltageVg2 max	450 V
Plate dissipationPa max	14 W

Mechanical

Specifications of 6V6S — Mechanical
Base	Octal
Rarity	Common
Pinout

Small signalDatasheet parameters at the reference operating point — not limits

Specifications of 6V6S — Small signal
Transconductance	4.1 mA/V
Plate resistance	50 kΩ

Capacitances

Specifications of 6V6S — Capacitances
Input	9 pF
Grid–plate	0.7 pF
Output	8.5 pF

Charactereditorial reading, not a measurement

Specifications of 6V6S — Character
Gain	0%
Power	35%
Drive	50%
Linearity	75%

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

Using this tube

No interactive loadline model for this tube yet — download a SPICE model below to simulate it in LTspice or ngspice.

Replace or compare

Sources

By Jean-Michel Falligan DevergneReviewed May 29, 2026Source : JJ 6V6S pentode rating

Manufacturer datasheets

1 manufacturer datasheets cross-checked for 6V6S1 verified

6V6S DatasheetLocal mirror · PDF

SPICE models

Revision and verification status

Source: JJ 6V6S pentode rating
Reviewed: 2026-05-29
Status: DataModelCalc
Model: under review

Context

The 6V6S is a indirectly-heated beam tetrode from Sovtek, introduced around 1995. Commonly used in power (se/pp) applications. Sovtek production.

History

Introduced: 1995
Manufacturer: Sovtek
Era: Modern

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