• WARNING: Tube/Valve amplifiers use potentially LETHAL HIGH VOLTAGES.
    Building, troubleshooting and testing of these amplifiers should only be
    performed by someone who is thoroughly familiar with
    the safety precautions around high voltages.

Help understanding cathode bypass capacitor

As long as we are here, what characteristics should we look for when buying an electrolytic capacitor for output stage cathode bypass use? Both SE and PP. Low ESR? Leakage current? What characteristics make the Nichicon UKA series "audio grade" capacitors (their words not mine)?
 
Last edited:
Low ESR.

Any capacitor leakage current that is a significant amount versus the output tube's cathode current, should be tossed into the trash can (it is not good for any circuit).

105 Degrees C rated

Capacitors that are not -20% of the capacitance rating, etc.

What makes any part "audio grade"?
Marketing

Just my opinions