Balanced or single ended leads from your arm.

Dear Ken: Speaking of an IC phono cable of 1m, balanced vs unbalanced, and using Eichman or Nextgen RCA against Neutrik XLR connectors, with the same cable and in the same phonolinepreamp you could not hear any difference, even in worst cases like Spencer's RFI ( here was a shield problem of the RCA cable. A well shielded cable has no problems at all, at least in 1m cables. ). If you hear differences that ones will be for the different connector but not for the cable it-self or the balanced/unbalanced subject.
Albert I can't be sure but I think that you take advantage of the cryo tratment ( different sound ) and that the Aesthetix has two balanced stages by design.

Now, the most important subject about balanced or unbalanced issue is not at the cables but at the phonolinepreamp design: in any well designed fully ( input to output )balanced phonolinepreamp we take a paramount advantage against an unbalanced design: in a balanced circuit the noise and distortions are canceled and the signal is degraded the less against an unbalanced design. So, the best way to go with a phonolinepreamp is with fully balanced designs, no question about.

Btw, I agree with Dgarretson about that the phono cartridge is not a true balanced source and the BAT recomendation maybe has to be with their own circuit design because there is no reason to take ( input ) a unbalanced signal in a balanced circuit.

I agree too with Neil on the long run IC phono subject: no more than 1.5m.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Dear Spencer: When I make the reference to you I omit to write that a not very good circuit/lay-out design could give that kind of RFI problems. Of course that balanced cables help in your specific case.

+++++ " I just wish I knew what reasonably priced pieces you think sound good. " +++++

The word " reasonably " is not a stand alone one because it depends on many factors like: which kind of quality sound reproduction do you want?, what music sound reproduction priorities do you have?, which kind of trade-offs could you accept?, what importance has to you the phonolinepreamp in the analog chain? etc, etc.
There are " reasonably " priced units from: 3K to 50K ???

Btw, very good system you own, specially those Merlin's ( I really like it ) and your analog rig.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.