If something is rated as Class C by Stereophile, what does that mean?
not much, IMO, but I from what I recall the "C" rating is typically given to products that might give you 90% of the performance of those with A and B ratings at a fraction of the cost. It could be the "C" is given to those components they really didn't care for, but felt obligated to include them to keep the manufacturer happy since they pay for ad space.