What is the E188CC vacuum tube?

The E188CC is a triode vacuum tube designed for preamp applications. Premium E88CC..

What is a E188CC substitute or equivalent?

Direct equivalents to the E188CC include 7308. 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 E188CC?

Amplification factor μ ≈ 33, transconductance gm ≈ 12.5 mA/V, plate resistance rp ≈ 2.6 kΩ, max plate voltage 250 V, max plate dissipation 2 W, heater 6.3 V / 0.335 A.

Is the E188CC still in production?

Production status varies by year and manufacturer. The current Amperatubes catalog classifies the E188CC 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 E188CC sound like?

Premium E88CC.. 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.

E188CC Triode Vacuum Tube

Also known as 7308

Medium-gain triode for driver and line stage applications

Dual triodeHeater 6.3 V · 0.335 A9-pin Noval2 sectionsPhilips 1960

Plate dissipation: 2W
Max plate voltage: 250V
Amplification factor: 33
Transconductance: 12.5mA/V
Plate resistance: 2.6kΩ

E188CC

Characteristics

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

HeaterIndirectly heated

Specifications of E188CC — Heater
Heater voltageVh	6.3 V
Heater currentIh	0.335 A

Limiting valuesDatasheet maximum ratings — not to be exceeded

Specifications of E188CC — Limiting values
Plate voltageVa max	250 V
Plate dissipationPa max	2 W
Cathode currentIk max	22 mA
Peak plate voltageVao	550 V

Mechanical

Specifications of E188CC — Mechanical
Base	9-pin Noval
Rarity	Sought-after
Pinout

Small signalDatasheet parameters at the reference operating point — not limits

Specifications of E188CC — Small signal
Transconductance	12.5 mA/V
Plate resistance	2.6 kΩ
Amplification factor	33

Capacitances

Specifications of E188CC — Capacitances
Grid–cathode	3.2 pF
Grid–plate	1.4 pF
Plate–cathode	0.18 pF

Charactereditorial reading, not a measurement

Specifications of E188CC — Character
Gain	33%
Power	5%
Drive	97%
Linearity	84%

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

Typical operation

Canonical operating pointModel

B+: 225 V
Load: 5 kΩ
Va: 135 V
Ia: 10.23 mA
Vg: -3.5 V
Pd: 1.38 W
Gain: 25.8 dB

At Q: Norman Koren
μ: 30.2
gm: 10.34 mA/V
rp: 2.9 kΩ

Design a stage →

Using this tube

Applications

Voltage amplifier
Phase splitter

Generic triode preamp stage

Hi-Fi stereoHeadphone amp

Replace or compare

Sources

By Jean-Michel Falligan DevergneReviewed May 29, 2026Source : Philips E188CC SQ datasheetActive model : Norman Koren

Manufacturer datasheets

3 manufacturer datasheets cross-checked for E188CC3 verified

E188CC DatasheetLocal mirror · PDF

SPICE models

Revision and verification status

Source: Philips E188CC SQ datasheet
Reviewed: 2026-05-29
Status: DataModelCalc
Model: Norman Koren

Context

The E188CC is a dual indirectly-heated triode from Philips, introduced around 1960. It provides a gain factor (μ) of 33 with 2600Ω plate resistance. Commonly used in preamp applications. Premium E88CC.

History

Introduced: 1960
Manufacturer: Philips
Era: Late Production

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