What is the ECL83 vacuum tube?

The ECL83 is a pentode vacuum tube designed for power applications.

Is the ECL83 still in production?

Production status varies by year and manufacturer. The current Amperatubes catalog classifies the ECL83 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 ECL83 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.

ECL83 Pentode Vacuum Tube

Triode + PentodeHeater 6.3 V · 0.6 A9-pin Noval2 sectionsPhilips 1958

Triode · Plate dissipation: 3.5W
Triode · Amplification factor: 85
Pentode · Plate dissipation: 5.4W
Pentode · Transconductance: 5.5mA/V

ECL83

Characteristics

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

HeaterIndirectly heated

Specifications of ECL83 — Heater
Heater voltageVh	6.3 V
Heater currentIh	0.6 A

Mechanical

Specifications of ECL83 — Mechanical
Base	9-pin Noval
Rarity	Moderate
Pinout

TriodeTriode

Limiting valuesDatasheet maximum ratings — not to be exceeded

Specifications of ECL83-T — Triode — Limiting values
Plate voltageVa max	250 V
Screen voltageVg2 max	250 V
Plate dissipationPa max	3.5 W
Screen dissipationPg2 max	1.2 W
Cathode currentIk max	45 mA

Small signalDatasheet parameters at the reference operating point — not limits

Specifications of ECL83-T — Triode — Small signal
Transconductance	2.5 mA/V
Plate resistance	34 kΩ
Amplification factor	85

Capacitances

Specifications of ECL83-T — Triode — Capacitances
Grid–cathode	2.3 pF
Grid–plate	1.6 pF
Plate–cathode	0.32 pF

Charactereditorial reading, not a measurement

Specifications of ECL83-T — Triode — Character
Gain	85%
Power	9%
Drive	66%
Linearity	58%

PentodePentode

Limiting valuesDatasheet maximum ratings — not to be exceeded

Specifications of ECL83-P — Pentode — Limiting values
Plate voltageVa max	250 V
Plate dissipationPa max	5.4 W

Small signalDatasheet parameters at the reference operating point — not limits

Specifications of ECL83-P — Pentode — Small signal
Transconductance	5.5 mA/V
Plate resistance	53 kΩ
Amplification factor	10

Capacitances

Specifications of ECL83-P — Pentode — Capacitances
Input	5.7 pF
Grid–plate	0.2 pF
Output	4.7 pF

Charactereditorial reading, not a measurement

Specifications of ECL83-P — Pentode — Character
Gain	10%
Power	14%
Drive	47%
Linearity	95%

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

Typical operation

Canonical operating pointModel

B+: 225 V
Load: 68 kΩ
Va: 135 V
Ia: 1.91 mA
Vg: -1 V
Pd: 0.26 W
Gain: 37.6 dB

At Q: Norman Koren
μ: 99.5
gm: 2.62 mA/V
rp: 37.9 kΩ

Design a stage →

Using this tube

Applications

Phase splitter

Generic pentode power stage

Replace or compare

Sources

By Jean-Michel Falligan DevergneReviewed May 29, 2026Source : datasheet4u Mullard ECL83

Manufacturer datasheets

Triode

1 manufacturer datasheets cross-checked for ECL83 — Triode1 verified

Pentode

1 manufacturer datasheets cross-checked for ECL83 — Pentode1 verified

ECL83 DatasheetLocal mirror · PDF

SPICE models

Revision and verification status

Source: datasheet4u Mullard ECL83
Reviewed: 2026-05-29
Status: DataModelCalc
Model: SPICE model

Context

The ECL83-T is a indirectly-heated triode from Philips, introduced around 1958. It provides a gain factor (μ) of 85 with 34.0kΩ plate resistance. Commonly used in driver applications. Triode section. The ECL83-P is a indirectly-heated pentode from Philips, introduced around 1958. It provides a gain factor (μ) of 10 with 53.0kΩ plate resistance. Commonly used in power applications. Pentode section.

History

Introduced: 1958
Manufacturer: Philips
Era: Golden Age

METRIX TESTER

Characteristics

HeaterIndirectly heated

Mechanical

TriodeTriode

Limiting valuesDatasheet maximum ratings — not to be exceeded

Small signalDatasheet parameters at the reference operating point — not limits

Capacitances

Charactereditorial reading, not a measurement?

PentodePentode

Limiting valuesDatasheet maximum ratings — not to be exceeded

Small signalDatasheet parameters at the reference operating point — not limits

Capacitances

Charactereditorial reading, not a measurement?

Typical operation

Using this tube

Applications

Replace or compare

Versus 12SJ7

Similar tubes

Sources

Manufacturer datasheets

SPICE models

Context

History

Test this tube on a Metrix

Charactereditorial reading, not a measurement

Charactereditorial reading, not a measurement