What is the EL3N vacuum tube?

The EL3N is a pentode vacuum tube designed for power (se) applications. European oval cathode pentode. Sakuma favorite..

What is a EL3N substitute or equivalent?

Direct equivalents to the EL3N include 4694. 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 EL3N?

Amplification factor μ ≈ 23, transconductance gm ≈ 9 mA/V, plate resistance rp ≈ 50.0 kΩ, max plate voltage 250 V, max plate dissipation 9 W, heater 6.3 V / 0.9 A.

Is the EL3N still in production?

Production status varies by year and manufacturer. The current Amperatubes catalog classifies the EL3N as Sought-after 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 EL3N sound like?

European oval cathode pentode. Sakuma favorite.. 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.

EL3N Pentode Vacuum Tube

Also known as 4694

Small-signal pentode for low-noise voltage amplification

PentodeHeater 6.3 V · 0.9 A8-pin Side Contact P8APhilips 1938

Plate dissipation: 9W
Max plate voltage: 250V
Transconductance: 9mA/V

EL3N

Characteristics

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

HeaterIndirectly heated

Specifications of EL3N — Heater
Heater voltageVh	6.3 V
Heater currentIh	0.9 A

Limiting valuesDatasheet maximum ratings — not to be exceeded

Specifications of EL3N — Limiting values
Plate voltageVa max	250 V
Plate dissipationPa max	9 W

Mechanical

Specifications of EL3N — Mechanical
Base	8-pin Side Contact P8A
Rarity	Sought-after
Pinout

Small signalDatasheet parameters at the reference operating point — not limits

Specifications of EL3N — Small signal
Transconductance	9 mA/V
Plate resistance	50 kΩ
Amplification factor	23

Capacitances

Specifications of EL3N — Capacitances
Input	8 pF
Grid–plate	0.3 pF
Output	7 pF

Charactereditorial reading, not a measurement

Specifications of EL3N — Character
Gain	23%
Power	23%
Drive	50%
Linearity	89%

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

Typical operation

Conditions published by the manufacturers, one row per condition. Nothing is computed.

Typical operation
Setup	Va	Vg2	Vg1 / Rk	Ia	Ig2	Load	Source
Class A, single-endedpentode connection	250 V	250 V	-6 V	36 mA	4 mA	7 kΩ	OCR, to be checked Philips · 1953 · p. 1 · transcript

Using this tube

Interactive loadline calculator not available for this tube yet — it needs calibrated Koren or Ayumi parameters.

Replace or compare

Sources

By Jean-Michel Falligan DevergneReviewed May 29, 2026

Manufacturer datasheets

1 manufacturer datasheets cross-checked for EL3N1 verified

EL3N DatasheetLocal mirror · PDF

SPICE models

Revision and verification status

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

Context

The EL3N is a indirectly-heated pentode from Philips, introduced around 1938. It provides a gain factor (μ) of 23 with 50.0kΩ plate resistance. Commonly used in power (se) applications. European oval cathode pentode. Sakuma favorite.

History

Introduced: 1938
Manufacturer: Philips
Era: Pre-War

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