What are equivalents for 12au7, 12at7 and 12ax7 tubes?

Preamp Blog Questions Answers about Preamplifiers Preamps

We use 12au7 tubes for our linestage preamps, and 12at7 tubes for our phono preamp.

But there are many “equivalent” tubes that can be used in these positions.  Here are some of the most common ones:

12au7 equivalents:

  • 12au7A
  • ECC82
  • ECC802
  • E82CC
  • 5814
  • 5814A
  • 13d5 (approx. equivalent)
  • 6189
  • 7316
  • 6680
  • CV4003
  • ECC186
  • ECC802S
  • M8136
  • 7025
  • B749
  • 6067
  • 6670
  • 7730
  • B329
  • 5963
  • 7489

12at7 equivalents:

  • ECC81
  • ECC801
  • B152
  • B309,
  • E2157
  • CV4024
  • M8162
  • 5965 (careful here… much lower gain, and higher demands on the heater / filament in terms of current)
  • 6060
  • 6201
  • 13d9

12ax7 equivalents:

  • 12AX7WA
  • ECC83
  • E83CC
  • ECC803
  • 7025
  • CV4004
  • 5751 (but has 20 – 30% less gain and different bias requirements)
  • M8137
  • 7729
  • 12AD7 (slightly different spec’s, be careful here)
  • 6057
  • 6681
  • 7058 (slightly different spec’s, be careful here)

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