3V4
3V4 is also designated DL94. Completed sales put the typical price at $12.69 per tube.
Description
The 3V4 is a miniature power-amplifier pentode designed for use in the power output stage of compact, battery-operated equipment. It has a coated filament cathode and is contained in a T-5½ glass envelope with an E7-1 miniature button 7-pin base. The mounting position is any.
Filament and Ratings
The 3V4 filament is center-tapped to permit operation from either a 2.8-volt or 1.4-volt filament supply voltage. Filament current is 0.05 ampere for series operation and 0.1 ampere for parallel operation. The tube is particularly useful in three-way portable receivers which employ 90-volt batteries. Plate and screen voltage ratings are 90 volts for both series and parallel filament operation. The D-C cathode current rating is 6.0 milliamperes for series filament operation and 12 milliamperes for parallel filament operation.
Characteristics
Transconductance is approximately 2000 micromhos for series filament operation and 1975 to 2150 micromhos for parallel filament operation. Maximum-signal power output is 0.24 watt for series filament operation and 0.25 to 0.27 watt for parallel filament operation. Output capacitance is 3.8 μμf.
Pin Connections
Pin 1 is filament; pin 2 is plate; pin 3 is grid number 2 (screen); pin 4 is no connection; pin 5 is filament center-tap and grid number 3; pin 6 is grid number 1; pin 7 is filament. The tube has an RTMA 6BX bottom view.
Alternative Designation
The 3V4 is also known by the American designation DL 94. Under that designation, the tube is described as an output pentode with a directly heated oxide cathode for battery or DC operation, or rectified and smoothed AC, providing an audio output of 0.5 W in class A operation and 1.1 W in push-pull class A operation. Heater voltage is 1.4 V or 2.8 V, with heater current 100 mA or 50 mA respectively.
| Designation | Evidence | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| DL94 | 72 independent documents | strong |
Equivalence is asserted only where the archive's own literature states it directly, in at least 40 separate documents. Tubes that merely substitute in some circuits are not listed here.
| Measure | Per tube |
|---|---|
| Median | $12.69 |
| Typical range (25th–75th) | $10.08 – $15.00 |
| Most sales (10th–90th) | $6.25 – $16.95 |
| Extremes incl. outliers | $3.17 – $27.49 |
| Completed sales | 29 |
| Brand | Median | Range | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| GE | $11.38 | $10.40 – $12.69 | 4 |
| RCA | $15.97 | $15.00 – $27.49 | 4 |
| Sylvania | $15.00 | $14.07 – $15.99 | 3 |
| Philco | $13.19 | $10.97 – $14.95 | 3 |
| Condition | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| NOS | $14.57 | 12 |
| used | $12.43 | 14 |
Per-tube prices from completed sales, 2026-06-24 to 2026-09-10. Matched pairs and quads are divided out. See the price index for how these move over time.
Original manufacturer datasheets for 3V4, hosted by Frank Philipse's Electron Tube Data sheets.
| Manufacturer | Designation | Datasheet |
|---|---|---|
| General Electric | 3V4 | PDF (206 KB) |
| Tung-Sol | 3V4 | PDF (122 KB) |
| Brimar | 3V4 | PDF (98 KB) |
| RFT | DL94 | PDF (2640 KB) |
| Philips | DL94 | PDF (1668 KB) |
| Mullard | DL94 | PDF (150 KB) |
| RFT | DL94 | PDF (81 KB) |
Documents held here and used to write this page.
- Grenzwerte, Kapazitäten und Betriebshinweise (filed under DL94)
- **3V4 Description and Rating**
2 further designations appear alongside 3V4 in the literature but below the evidence threshold used here, so they are not listed as equivalent.