I don't judge the quality of a unit based on the number of caps inside. I think this is especially true for CJ who's fundamental design is based on simplicity.plurn wrote: ↑Thu Jul 27, 2023 10:51 pm a comment I posted back in 2017:
"When I compare the insides of the ET7 to the ET5 I am a bit surprised. ET7 has a lot less big white capacitors and has more electrolytic capacitors than the ET5. Also the tube is now on the main board rather than on a vibration isolated daughter board. Just looking at estimated cost of parts, I would think the ET7 would cost Conrad Johnson less to build than the ET5."
None of that on its own means one is better built or better than the other though.
An ET5 is a great preamp,... so is the ET7 (which is why I run the ET7s2 in my system). The best option is always to listen for yourself and compare.