What is the E280F vacuum tube?

The E280F is a pentode vacuum tube designed for preamp applications. Small-current professional pentode..

What is a E280F substitute or equivalent?

Direct equivalents to the E280F include 7722. 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 E280F?

Amplification factor μ ≈ 60, transconductance gm ≈ 26 mA/V, plate resistance rp ≈ 100.0 kΩ, max plate voltage 220 V, max plate dissipation 4 W, heater 6.3 V / 0.315 A.

Is the E280F still in production?

Production status varies by year and manufacturer. The current Amperatubes catalog classifies the E280F as Rare 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 E280F sound like?

Small-current professional pentode.. 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.

E280F Pentode Vacuum Tube

Also known as 7722

Small-signal pentode for low-noise voltage amplification

PentodeHeater 6.3 V · 0.315 A9-pin NovalSiemens 1962

Plate dissipation: 4W
Max plate voltage: 220V
Amplification factor: 60
Transconductance: 26mA/V
Plate resistance: 100kΩ

E280F

Characteristics

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

HeaterIndirectly heated

Specifications of E280F — Heater
Heater voltageVh	6.3 V
Heater currentIh	0.315 A

Limiting valuesDatasheet maximum ratings — not to be exceeded

Specifications of E280F — Limiting values
Plate voltageVa max	220 V
Screen voltageVg2 max	180 V
Plate dissipationPa max	4 W
Cathode currentIk max	30 mA
Grid resistorRg1 max	500 kΩ
Peak plate voltageVao	400 V

Mechanical

Specifications of E280F — Mechanical
Base	9-pin Noval
Rarity	Rare
Pinout

Small signalDatasheet parameters at the reference operating point — not limits

Specifications of E280F — Small signal
Transconductance	26 mA/V
Plate resistance	100 kΩ
Amplification factor	60

Capacitances

Specifications of E280F — Capacitances
Input	9.3 pF
Grid–plate	0.035 pF
Output	2.6 pF

Charactereditorial reading, not a measurement

Specifications of E280F — Character
Gain	60%
Power	10%
Drive	0%
Linearity	70%

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

Generic pentode preamp stage

Replace or compare

Sources

By Jean-Michel Falligan DevergneReviewed May 29, 2026Source : Siemens E280F/7722 datasheet

Manufacturer datasheets

2 manufacturer datasheets cross-checked for E280F2 verified

E280F DatasheetLocal mirror · PDF

SPICE models

Revision and verification status

Source: Siemens E280F/7722 datasheet
Reviewed: 2026-05-29
Status: DataModelCalc
Model: under review

Context

The E280F is a indirectly-heated pentode from Siemens, introduced around 1962. It provides a gain factor (μ) of 60 with 100.0kΩ plate resistance. Commonly used in preamp applications. Small-current professional pentode.

History

Introduced: 1962
Manufacturer: Siemens
Era: Late Production

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