On the other hand, Eric Lichte thought the Bel Canto DAC was actually better than the two A+ rated DACs he compared it to -- Weiss and dCS -- but it  "only" got into Class A.   This is in the category of "random stuff I happened to notice," rather than "earth-shaking news," but still...

As much as I like the Grace m903, I was also a little surprised at the A+ rating. At first I thought it might have something to do with just how nice the unit's build quality, and features are, which make it a pleasure to use. But the intro to the Recommended Components section states that the ratings are based entirely on "performance-ie, accuracy of reproduction".

Maybe the m903's rating is influenced by a line in the description of the Class ratings. Under Class A section it says, "With Super Audio CD, 24/96 DAD, and DVD-Audio now available, we have created  a new class, A+, for the best performance in those digital categories. Class A now represents the best that can be obtained from the conventional 16/44.1 CD medium."

EDIT: I just noticed this sentence in the section listing the m903. "To be included in Class A+, a digital processor must be capable of handling DSD or 24/96 LPCM data." but I'm still a little confused.

The m903 does sound good to me, but I have not heard most of the other class A+, or A units to compare.