5881

The JJ 5881 is a classic 23 watt stubby bottle 6L6 variant. We use these in applications up to 500VDC on the plates which means they can be used in almost any 6L6 application.

In cathode biased amps designed for 6L6GC’s, you will most likely need to modify the value of the cathode resistor to keep the dissipation within the 23 watt spec for the 5881.

Here’s the story: The JJ 5881 prototypes came to us in September of 2014 for testing. We were very excited to see the traditional stubby bottle and completely new internal construction. We had spoken to JJ about the need for a really great 5881 that was built to be a lower power 6L6 just like the originals, and they sure came thru on this one!

One of the first amps we auditioned them in was a Blackface Twin. The very first words spoken to describe them was “Wow, its like Tweed in the bottle!” The power was noticeably down, the breakup was earlier and very smooth in transition. They have “jangle” for days! We LOVE these tubes! A wonderful option for any 6L6 amp or classic 5881 design.

After a 24 hour burn in all power tubes are tested for noise and matched at multiple operating points for plate current (± one milliamp) and transconductance. Please leave us a note in the comments section as to what amp they’re going into and or if you’re looking for a specific grade.