Conrad-Johnson also offers a Special Edition of the ET3
preamplifier, the ET3 SE. The controls, features, and basic circuitry remain the
same, but the sonics benefit from strategic parts upgrades. Specifically, series
resistors in the line stage are replaced with Vishay metal-foil resistors, and
polypropylene by- pass capacitors (on the output coupling capacitors and
regulated power supply capacitors) are replaced with CJD Teflon capacitors. The
Classic SE phono stage gets similar parts upgrades to the line stage circuit.
The sonic performance improvement is immediately noticeable as higher
resolution, finer gradations in dynamics, purer transients, and increased weight
and body in the sound. It all adds up to a very nice improvement, making the ET3
SE a real state of the art contender. Owners of the standard versions can
also have the upgrades performed on their units.