What is the PCC88 vacuum tube?

The PCC88 is a triode vacuum tube designed for preamp applications. Series heater E88CC..

What is a PCC88 substitute or equivalent?

Direct equivalents to the PCC88 include 7DJ8. 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 PCC88?

Amplification factor μ ≈ 33, transconductance gm ≈ 12.5 mA/V, plate resistance rp ≈ 2.6 kΩ, max plate voltage 130 V, max plate dissipation 1.8 W, heater 7.6 V / 0.3 A.

Is the PCC88 still in production?

Production status varies by year and manufacturer. The current Amperatubes catalog classifies the PCC88 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 PCC88 sound like?

Series heater E88CC.. 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.

PCC88 Triode Vacuum Tube

Also known as 7DJ8

Medium-gain triode for driver and line stage applications

TriodeHeater 7.6 V · 0.3 A9-pin NovalPhilips 1960

Plate dissipation: 1.8W
Max plate voltage: 130V
Amplification factor: 33
Transconductance: 12.5mA/V
Plate resistance: 2.6kΩ

PCC88

Characteristics

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

HeaterIndirectly heated

Specifications of PCC88 — Heater
Heater voltageVh	7.6 V
Heater currentIh	0.3 A

Limiting valuesDatasheet maximum ratings — not to be exceeded

Specifications of PCC88 — Limiting values
Plate voltageVa max	130 V
Plate dissipationPa max	1.8 W
Cathode currentIk max	25 mA
Grid resistorRg1 max	1 MΩ
Peak plate voltageVao	550 V

Mechanical

Specifications of PCC88 — Mechanical
Base	9-pin Noval
Rarity	Moderate
Pinout

Small signalDatasheet parameters at the reference operating point — not limits

Specifications of PCC88 — Small signal
Transconductance	12.5 mA/V
Plate resistance	2.6 kΩ
Amplification factor	33

Capacitances

Specifications of PCC88 — Capacitances
Grid–cathode	3.3 pF
Grid–plate	1.4 pF
Plate–cathode	1.8 pF

Charactereditorial reading, not a measurement

Specifications of PCC88 — Character
Gain	33%
Power	5%
Drive	97%
Linearity	84%

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

Typical operation

Canonical operating pointSPICE model3 availableModel

B+: 100 V
Load: 5 kΩ
Va: 60 V
Ia: 3.71 mA
Vg: -1.5 V
Pd: 0.22 W
Gain: 24.5 dB

At Q: Ayumi Nakabayashi · 3 engines
μ: 30.3
gm: 6.77 mA/V
rp: 4.5 kΩ

Design a stage →

Using this tube

Applications

Voltage amplifier

Generic triode preamp stage

Hi-Fi stereoHeadphone amp

Replace or compare

Sources

By Jean-Michel Falligan DevergneReviewed May 29, 2026Source : PCC88 datasheet · ECC88 familyActive model : Ayumi Nakabayashi · 3 engines

Manufacturer datasheets

4 manufacturer datasheets cross-checked for PCC884 verified

PCC88 DatasheetLocal mirror · PDF

SPICE models

Revision and verification status

Source: PCC88 datasheet · ECC88 family
Reviewed: 2026-05-29
Status: DataModelCalc
Model: Ayumi Nakabayashi · 3 engines

Context

The PCC88 is a indirectly-heated triode from Philips, introduced around 1960. It provides a gain factor (μ) of 33 with 2600Ω plate resistance. Commonly used in preamp applications. Series heater E88CC.

History

Introduced: 1960
Manufacturer: Philips
Era: Late Production

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