What is the ECL82 vacuum tube?

The ECL82 is a pentode vacuum tube designed for power applications.

What is a ECL82 substitute or equivalent?

Direct equivalents to the ECL82 include 6BM8. 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.

Is the ECL82 still in production?

Production status varies by year and manufacturer. The current Amperatubes catalog classifies the ECL82 as Common 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 ECL82 sound like?

Sonic character depends 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.

By Jean-Michel Falligan Devergne · Reviewed May 29, 2026

ECL82 Pentode Vacuum Tube

Triode + Pentode6.3 V · 0.78 A9-pin Noval2 sectionsAlso known as6BM8

By Jean-Michel Falligan DevergneReviewed May 29, 2026Source : Philips ECL82/6BM8 datasheet (drtube)

ECL82

In brief

TriodeTriode

μ: 70
gm: 2.5 mA/V
rp: 27 kΩ
Pa: 1 W

PentodePentode

μ: 10
gm: 7.5 mA/V
rp: 16 kΩ
Pa: 7 W

The ECL82-T is a indirectly-heated triode from Philips, introduced around 1955. It provides a gain factor (μ) of 70 with 27.0kΩ plate resistance. Commonly used in preamp applications. Triode section. The ECL82-P is a indirectly-heated pentode from Philips, introduced around 1955. It provides a gain factor (μ) of 10 with 16.0kΩ plate resistance. Commonly used in power applications. Power pentode section.

Limits

Specifications of ECL82
Specification	Value	Source
Heater
Heater voltage	6.3 V	Datasheet
Heater current	0.78 A	Datasheet

Specifications of ECL82-T — Triode
Specification	Value	Source
LimitsDatasheet maximum ratings — not to be exceeded
Max Plate V	300 V	Datasheet
Pa max	1 W	Datasheet

Typical operation

Canonical operating pointModel

B+: 250 V
Load: 54 kΩ
Va: 150 V
Ia: 1.49 mA
Vg: -1.5 V
Pd: 0.22 W
Gain: 33 dB

At Q: Norman Koren
μ: 70.8
gm: 2.09 mA/V
rp: 33.9 kΩ

Design a stage →

Using this tube

Open the loadline calculator

APPLICATIONS

Phase splitter

Philips EL3549 recorderTelefunken Opus Hi-Fi

Replace or compare

Sources

Manufacturer datasheets

Triode

6 manufacturer datasheets cross-checked for ECL82 — Triode6 verified

Triode-connectedPhilipsDecember 1969 / January 1969 (sheets 1969.12 & 1969.01 ; FP page 1999.08.15)

Va: 100 V
Vg1: 0 V
Ia: 3.5 mA
gm: 2.2 mA/V
µ: 16
Ra: 16 Ω

Pentode

6 manufacturer datasheets cross-checked for ECL82 — Pentode6 verified

ECL82 DatasheetLocal mirror · PDF

SPICE models

Revision and verification status

Source: Philips ECL82/6BM8 datasheet (drtube)
Reviewed: 2026-05-29
Status: DataModelCalc
Model: SPICE model

Context

HISTORY

Introduced: 1955
Manufacturer: Philips
Era: Golden Age

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