For whatever it's worth I have done a lot of critical listening over the years with a lot of different high-end audio equipment and at short distances (1/M - 1.5/M) and I have not noticed a difference in the music comparing XLR to RCA other than I acknowledge that when the volume is set at the same level the XLR cables are about 3dB louder. Therefore assuming your equipment has both RCA and XLR inputs and outputs I recommend staying with a good pair of RCA interconnects unless you are talking about extremely long runs.
Balanced vs. Single Ended Interconnects
From your experience, would you expect a higher quality single ended interconnect or an entry level balanced interconnect to sound better when connecting two balanced components?
More specifically, I will be connecting a Denafrips Ares ii to a Pathos Classic One Mkiii and I currently have Audioquest Sydney RCA interconnects. Is it worth getting some cheap Monoprice XLR cables or should I just wait until I can justify purchasing something from Audioquest (probably Red River or Belden BAV) in the future.
- robot