What is the VT-116 vacuum tube?

The VT-116 is a pentode vacuum tube designed for preamp applications. Military designation..

What is a VT-116 substitute or equivalent?

Direct equivalents to the VT-116 include 6SJ7 mil. 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 VT-116?

Amplification factor μ ≈ 19, transconductance gm ≈ 1.65 mA/V, plate resistance rp ≈ 1000.0 kΩ, max plate voltage 300 V, max plate dissipation 2.5 W, heater 6.3 V / 0.3 A.

Is the VT-116 still in production?

Production status varies by year and manufacturer. The current Amperatubes catalog classifies the VT-116 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 VT-116 sound like?

Military designation.. 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.

VT-116 Pentode Vacuum Tube

Also known as 6SJ7 mil

Small-signal pentode for low-noise voltage amplification

PentodeHeater 6.3 V · 0.3 AOctalRCA 1942

Plate dissipation: 2.5W
Max plate voltage: 300V
Amplification factor: 19
Transconductance: 1.65mA/V
Plate resistance: 1MΩ

VT-116

Characteristics

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

HeaterIndirectly heated

Specifications of VT-116 — Heater
Heater voltageVh	6.3 V
Heater currentIh	0.3 A

Limiting valuesDatasheet maximum ratings — not to be exceeded

Specifications of VT-116 — Limiting values
Plate voltageVa max	300 V
Screen voltageVg2 max	125 V
Plate dissipationPa max	2.5 W
Screen dissipationPg2 max	0.3 W

Mechanical

Specifications of VT-116 — Mechanical
Base	Octal
Rarity	Moderate
Pinout

Small signalDatasheet parameters at the reference operating point — not limits

Specifications of VT-116 — Small signal
Transconductance	1.65 mA/V
Plate resistance	1 MΩ
Amplification factor	19

Capacitances

Specifications of VT-116 — Capacitances
Input	6 pF
Grid–plate	0.005 pF
Output	7 pF

Charactereditorial reading, not a measurement

Specifications of VT-116 — Character
Gain	19%
Power	6%
Drive	0%
Linearity	91%

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

Using this tube

Applications

Voltage amplifier

Generic pentode preamp stage

Replace or compare

Sources

By Jean-Michel Falligan DevergneReviewed May 29, 2026Source : audit-us_b (CLEAN — matches canonical datasheet)Active model : Koren pentode

Manufacturer datasheets

4 manufacturer datasheets cross-checked for VT-1164 verified

Triode-connectedRCA1948 (June 15, 1948)

µ: 11

VT-116 DatasheetLocal mirror · PDF

SPICE models

Revision and verification status

Source: audit-us_b (CLEAN — matches canonical datasheet)
Reviewed: 2026-05-29
Status: DataModelCalc
Model: Koren pentode

Context

The VT-116 is a indirectly-heated pentode from RCA, introduced around 1942. It provides a gain factor (μ) of 19 with 1000.0kΩ plate resistance. Commonly used in preamp applications. Military designation.

History

Introduced: 1942
Manufacturer: RCA
Era: Pre-War

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