What is the PCL82 vacuum tube?

The PCL82 is a pentode vacuum tube designed for power applications.

What is a PCL82 substitute or equivalent?

Direct equivalents to the PCL82 include 16A8. 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 PCL82 still in production?

Production status varies by year and manufacturer. The current Amperatubes catalog classifies the PCL82 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 PCL82 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

PCL82 Pentode Vacuum Tube

Triode + Pentode16 V · 0.3 A9-pin Noval2 sectionsAlso known as16A8

By Jean-Michel Falligan DevergneReviewed May 29, 2026Source : audit-eu_b (CLEAN — matches canonical datasheet)

PCL82

In brief

TriodeTriode

μ: 70
gm: 2.2 mA/V
rp: 32 kΩ
Pa: 1 W

PentodePentode

μ: 10
gm: 7.5 mA/V
rp: 16 kΩ
Pa: 7 W

The PCL82-T is a indirectly-heated triode from Philips·Mullard, introduced around 1955. It provides a gain factor (μ) of 70 with 32.0kΩ plate resistance. Commonly used in preamp applications. Triode section. The PCL82-P is a indirectly-heated pentode from Philips·Mullard, introduced around 1955. It provides a gain factor (μ) of 10 with 16.0kΩ plate resistance. Commonly used in power applications. Pentode section. Series heater TV tube.

Limits

Specifications of PCL82
Specification	Value	Source
Heater
Heater voltage	16 V	Datasheet
Heater current	0.3 A	Datasheet

Specifications of PCL82-T — Triode
Specification	Value	Source
LimitsDatasheet maximum ratings — not to be exceeded
Max Plate V	250 V	Datasheet
Pa max	1 W	Datasheet

Using this tube

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

APPLICATIONS

Phase splitter

Generic pentode power stage

Replace or compare

Sources

Manufacturer datasheets

Triode

5 manufacturer datasheets cross-checked for PCL82 — Triode5 verified

Pentode

5 manufacturer datasheets cross-checked for PCL82 — Pentode5 verified

Triode-connectedPhilipsJanuary 1970; FP page 1999.08.02

Va: 100 V
Vg1: 0 V
Ia: 3.5 mA
gm: 2.2 mA/V
µ: 9.5

PCL82 DatasheetLocal mirror · PDF

SPICE models

Revision and verification status

Source: audit-eu_b (CLEAN — matches canonical datasheet)
Reviewed: 2026-05-29
Status: DataModelCalc
Model: under review

Context

HISTORY

Introduced: 1955
Manufacturer: Philips·Mullard
Era: Golden Age

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