What is the CV808 vacuum tube?

The CV808 is a triode vacuum tube designed for preamp applications. Military ECC83..

What is a CV808 substitute or equivalent?

Direct equivalents to the CV808 include ECC83 (mil). 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 CV808?

Amplification factor μ ≈ 15, transconductance gm ≈ 2.6 mA/V, plate resistance rp ≈ 5.8 kΩ, max plate voltage 150 V, max plate dissipation 1 W, heater 1.4 V / 0.22 A.

Is the CV808 still in production?

Production status varies by year and manufacturer. The current Amperatubes catalog classifies the CV808 as Sought-after 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 CV808 sound like?

Military ECC83.. 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.

CV808 Triode Vacuum Tube

Also known as ECC83 (mil)

Medium-gain triode for driver and line stage applications

Dual triodeHeater 1.4 V · 0.22 A9-pin Noval2 sectionsMullard 1955

Plate dissipation: 1W
Max plate voltage: 150V
Amplification factor: 15
Transconductance: 2.6mA/V
Plate resistance: 5.769kΩ

CV808

Characteristics

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

HeaterIndirectly heated

Specifications of CV808 — Heater
Heater voltageVh	1.4 V
Heater currentIh	0.22 A

Limiting valuesDatasheet maximum ratings — not to be exceeded

Specifications of CV808 — Limiting values
Plate voltageVa max	150 V
Plate dissipationPa max	1 W

Mechanical

Specifications of CV808 — Mechanical
Base	9-pin Noval
Rarity	Sought-after
Pinout

Small signalDatasheet parameters at the reference operating point — not limits

Specifications of CV808 — Small signal
Transconductance	2.6 mA/V
Plate resistance	5.8 kΩ
Amplification factor	15

Capacitances

Specifications of CV808 — Capacitances
Grid–cathode	0.9 pF
Grid–plate	3.2 pF
Plate–cathode	1 pF

Charactereditorial reading, not a measurement

Specifications of CV808 — Character
Gain	15%
Power	3%
Drive	94%
Linearity	93%

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
Line stage
Phase splitter

Generic triode preamp stage

Hi-Fi stereoHeadphone amp

Replace or compare

Sources

By Jean-Michel Falligan DevergneReviewed May 29, 2026

Manufacturer datasheets

1 manufacturer datasheets cross-checked for CV8081 verified

CV808 DatasheetLocal mirror · PDF

SPICE models

Revision and verification status

Source: Mullard
Reviewed: 2026-05-29
Status: DataModelCalc
Model: under review

Context

The CV808 is a dual indirectly-heated triode from Mullard, introduced around 1955. It provides a gain factor (μ) of 15 with 5769Ω plate resistance. Commonly used in preamp applications. Military ECC83.

History

Introduced: 1955
Manufacturer: Mullard
Era: Golden Age

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