Lowrider,
They can be one and the Same. Arcam for instance calls the units B stock. They may in fact be refurbished. They may have a cosmetic blem. We don't get a history on each piece. It basically comes down to the term the company uses. Klipsch "B" stock are almost always a blem. Usually a slight mismatch in grain, or the tint of the stain was somewhat off from what they expected. We had some big Klipsch that were "B" stock due to color. When I opened a pair, I liked them way better than the "A" stock. To me the color was just "richer" Many things that end up as "B" stock needed a simple firmware update. Regardless of what they call it, I always thought it was a good deal. I've been buying it since I was a teen. To be honest, I've yet to have a piece fail on me. If you are a person that can't stand the thought of someone else using it first, or will freak if it has a blem, or scratch, it's probably not for you.