What is the EF184 vacuum tube?

The EF184 (EF184 / 6EJ7) is a pentode vacuum tube designed for preamp / rf applications. High-Gm sharp cutoff pentode..

What is a EF184 substitute or equivalent?

Direct equivalents to the EF184 include 6EJ7. 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 EF184?

Amplification factor μ ≈ 60, transconductance gm ≈ 15 mA/V, plate resistance rp ≈ 380.0 kΩ, max plate voltage 250 V, max plate dissipation 2.5 W, heater 6.3 V / 0.3 A.

Is the EF184 still in production?

Production status varies by year and manufacturer. The current Amperatubes catalog classifies the EF184 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 EF184 sound like?

High-Gm sharp cutoff 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.

EF184 6EJ7 Pentode Vacuum Tube

Also known as 6EJ7

Small-signal pentode for low-noise voltage amplification

PentodeHeater 6.3 V · 0.3 A9-pin NovalPhilips 1960

Plate dissipation: 2.5W
Max plate voltage: 250V
Amplification factor: 60
Transconductance: 15mA/V
Plate resistance: 380kΩ

EF184

Characteristics

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

HeaterIndirectly heated

Specifications of EF184 — Heater
Heater voltageVh	6.3 V
Heater currentIh	0.3 A

Limiting valuesDatasheet maximum ratings — not to be exceeded

Specifications of EF184 — Limiting values
Plate voltageVa max	250 V
Screen voltageVg2 max	250 V
Plate dissipationPa max	2.5 W
Screen dissipationPg2 max	0.9 W
Cathode currentIk max	25 mA
Grid resistorRg1 max	1 MΩ
Heater–cathode voltageVhk max	150 V

Mechanical

Specifications of EF184 — Mechanical
Base	9-pin Noval
Rarity	Common
Pinout

Small signalDatasheet parameters at the reference operating point — not limits

Specifications of EF184 — Small signal
Transconductance	15 mA/V
Plate resistance	380 kΩ
Amplification factor	60

Capacitances

Specifications of EF184 — Capacitances
Input	10 pF
Grid–plate	0.0055 pF
Output	3 pF

Charactereditorial reading, not a measurement

Specifications of EF184 — Character
Gain	60%
Power	6%
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 / rf stage

Replace or compare

Sources

By Jean-Michel Falligan DevergneReviewed May 29, 2026Source : Philips EF184 datasheet

Manufacturer datasheets

3 manufacturer datasheets cross-checked for EF184 / 6EJ73 verified

EF184 DatasheetLocal mirror · PDF

SPICE models

Revision and verification status

Source: Philips EF184 datasheet
Reviewed: 2026-05-29
Status: DataModelCalc
Model: under review

Context

The EF184 is a indirectly-heated pentode from Philips, introduced around 1960. It provides a gain factor (μ) of 60 with 380.0kΩ plate resistance. Commonly used in preamp / rf applications. High-Gm sharp cutoff pentode.

History

Introduced: 1960
Manufacturer: Philips
Era: Late Production

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