What is the ECC180 vacuum tube?

The ECC180 is a triode vacuum tube designed for preamp applications. Frame-grid VHF..

What is a ECC180 substitute or equivalent?

Direct equivalents to the ECC180 include 6BQ7A, 6BC8, 6BS8. 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 ECC180?

Amplification factor μ ≈ 60, transconductance gm ≈ 5.5 mA/V, plate resistance rp ≈ 11.0 kΩ, max plate voltage 300 V, max plate dissipation 2.5 W, heater 6.3 V / 0.3 A.

Is the ECC180 still in production?

Production status varies by year and manufacturer. The current Amperatubes catalog classifies the ECC180 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 ECC180 sound like?

Frame-grid VHF.. 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.

ECC180 Triode Vacuum Tube

Also known as 6BQ7A · 6BC8 · 6BS8

Medium-gain triode for voltage amplification applications

Dual triodeHeater 6.3 V · 0.3 A9-pin Noval2 sectionsPhilips 1960

Plate dissipation: 2.5W
Max plate voltage: 300V
Amplification factor: 60
Transconductance: 5.5mA/V
Plate resistance: 11kΩ

ECC180

Characteristics

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

HeaterIndirectly heated

Specifications of ECC180 — Heater
Heater voltageVh	6.3 V
Heater currentIh	0.3 A

Limiting valuesDatasheet maximum ratings — not to be exceeded

Specifications of ECC180 — Limiting values
Plate voltageVa max	300 V
Plate dissipationPa max	2.5 W
Cathode currentIk max	15 mA
Peak plate voltageVao	550 V
Heater–cathode voltageVhk max	100 V

Mechanical

Specifications of ECC180 — Mechanical
Base	9-pin Noval
Rarity	Moderate
Pinout

Small signalDatasheet parameters at the reference operating point — not limits

Specifications of ECC180 — Small signal
Transconductance	5.5 mA/V
Plate resistance	11 kΩ
Amplification factor	60

Capacitances

Specifications of ECC180 — Capacitances
Grid–cathode	2.3 pF
Grid–plate	1.6 pF
Plate–cathode	0.45 pF

Charactereditorial reading, not a measurement

Specifications of ECC180 — Character
Gain	60%
Power	6%
Drive	89%
Linearity	70%

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

Typical operation

Canonical operating pointModel

B+: 200 V
Load: 5 kΩ
Va: 120 V
Ia: 5.18 mA
Vg: -2 V
Pd: 0.62 W
Gain: 23.5 dB

At Q: Norman Koren
μ: 36.1
gm: 4.75 mA/V
rp: 7.6 kΩ

Design a stage →

Using this tube

Applications

Voltage amplifier
High-gain preamp
Phase splitter

Generic triode preamp stage

Hi-Fi stereoHeadphone ampStudio/recording

Replace or compare

Sources

By Jean-Michel Falligan DevergneReviewed May 29, 2026Source : btb-elektronik 6BQ7A/ECC180 datasheetActive model : Norman Koren

Manufacturer datasheets

5 manufacturer datasheets cross-checked for ECC1805 verified

ECC180 DatasheetLocal mirror · PDF

SPICE models

Revision and verification status

Source: btb-elektronik 6BQ7A/ECC180 datasheet
Reviewed: 2026-05-29
Status: DataModelCalc
Model: Norman Koren

Context

The ECC180 is a dual indirectly-heated triode from Philips, introduced around 1960. It provides a gain factor (μ) of 60 with 11.0kΩ plate resistance. Commonly used in preamp applications. Frame-grid VHF.

History

Introduced: 1960
Manufacturer: Philips
Era: Late Production

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