What is the E83F vacuum tube?

The E83F is a pentode vacuum tube designed for preamp applications. Frame-grid. Low noise..

What is a E83F substitute or equivalent?

Direct equivalents to the E83F include 6689. 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 E83F?

Amplification factor μ ≈ 38, transconductance gm ≈ 9 mA/V, plate resistance rp ≈ 500.0 kΩ, max plate voltage 210 V, max plate dissipation 2.1 W, heater 6.3 V / 0.3 A.

Is the E83F still in production?

Production status varies by year and manufacturer. The current Amperatubes catalog classifies the E83F 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 E83F sound like?

Frame-grid. Low noise.. 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.

E83F Pentode Vacuum Tube

Also known as 6689

Small-signal pentode for low-noise voltage amplification

PentodeHeater 6.3 V · 0.3 A9-pin NovalPhilips·Telefunken 1960

Plate dissipation: 2.1W
Max plate voltage: 210V
Amplification factor: 38
Transconductance: 9mA/V
Plate resistance: 500kΩ

E83F

Characteristics

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

HeaterIndirectly heated

Specifications of E83F — Heater
Heater voltageVh	6.3 V
Heater currentIh	0.3 A

Limiting valuesDatasheet maximum ratings — not to be exceeded

Specifications of E83F — Limiting values
Plate voltageVa max	210 V
Screen voltageVg2 max	210 V
Plate dissipationPa max	2.1 W
Cathode currentIk max	16 mA
Grid resistorRg1 max	1 MΩ
Peak plate voltageVao	550 V

Mechanical

Specifications of E83F — Mechanical
Base	9-pin Noval
Rarity	Rare
Pinout

Small signalDatasheet parameters at the reference operating point — not limits

Specifications of E83F — Small signal
Transconductance	9 mA/V
Plate resistance	500 kΩ
Amplification factor	38

Capacitances

Specifications of E83F — Capacitances
Input	8 pF
Grid–plate	0.015 pF
Output	3.5 pF

Charactereditorial reading, not a measurement

Specifications of E83F — Character
Gain	38%
Power	5%
Drive	0%
Linearity	81%

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 : Philips E83F/6689 datasheet

Manufacturer datasheets

3 manufacturer datasheets cross-checked for E83F3 verified

E83F DatasheetLocal mirror · PDF

SPICE models

Revision and verification status

Source: Philips E83F/6689 datasheet
Reviewed: 2026-05-29
Status: DataModelCalc
Model: under review

Context

The E83F is a indirectly-heated pentode from Philips·Telefunken, introduced around 1960. It provides a gain factor (μ) of 38 with 500.0kΩ plate resistance. Commonly used in preamp applications. Frame-grid. Low noise.

History

Introduced: 1960
Manufacturer: Philips·Telefunken
Era: Late Production

METRIX TESTER