What is the 7044 vacuum tube?

The 7044 is a triode vacuum tube designed for driver / preamp applications. Industrial computer dual triode. 5687 family..

What is a 7044 substitute or equivalent?

Direct equivalents to the 7044 include 5687, 6900. 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 7044?

Amplification factor μ ≈ 21, transconductance gm ≈ 12 mA/V, plate resistance rp ≈ 1.8 kΩ, max plate voltage 300 V, max plate dissipation 4.5 W, heater 12.6 V / 0.45 A.

Is the 7044 still in production?

Production status varies by year and manufacturer. The current Amperatubes catalog classifies the 7044 as Moderate 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 7044 sound like?

Industrial computer dual triode. 5687 family.. 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.

7044 Triode Vacuum Tube

Also known as 5687 · 6900

Medium-gain triode for driver and line stage applications

Dual triodeHeater 12.6 V · 0.45 A9-pin Noval2 sectionsSylvania 1958

Plate dissipation: 4.5W
Max plate voltage: 300V
Amplification factor: 21
Transconductance: 12mA/V
Plate resistance: 1.75kΩ

7044

Characteristics

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

HeaterIndirectly heated

Specifications of 7044 — Heater
Heater voltageVh	12.6 V
Heater currentIh	0.45 A

Limiting valuesDatasheet maximum ratings — not to be exceeded

Specifications of 7044 — Limiting values
Plate voltageVa max	300 V
Plate dissipationPa max	4.5 W

Mechanical

Specifications of 7044 — Mechanical
Base	9-pin Noval
Rarity	Moderate
Pinout

Small signalDatasheet parameters at the reference operating point — not limits

Specifications of 7044 — Small signal
Transconductance	12 mA/V
Plate resistance	1.8 kΩ
Amplification factor	21

Capacitances

Specifications of 7044 — Capacitances
Grid–cathode	4.8 pF
Grid–plate	6 pF
Plate–cathode	0.65 pF

Charactereditorial reading, not a measurement

Specifications of 7044 — Character
Gain	21%
Power	11%
Drive	98%
Linearity	90%

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

Using this tube

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

Applications

Voltage amplifier
Headphone output
Phase splitter

Generic triode driver / preamp stage

Hi-Fi stereoHeadphone amp

Replace or compare

Sources

By Jean-Michel Falligan DevergneReviewed May 29, 2026Source : GE 7044 datasheet (tubebooks)

Manufacturer datasheets

4 manufacturer datasheets cross-checked for 70444 verified

7044 DatasheetLocal mirror · PDF

SPICE models

Revision and verification status

Source: GE 7044 datasheet (tubebooks)
Reviewed: 2026-05-29
Status: DataModelCalc
Model: under review

Context

The 7044 is a dual indirectly-heated triode from Sylvania, introduced around 1958. It provides a gain factor (μ) of 21 with 1750Ω plate resistance. Commonly used in driver / preamp applications. Industrial computer dual triode. 5687 family.

History

Introduced: 1958
Manufacturer: Sylvania
Era: Golden Age

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