Balanced vs. Unbalanced - What does it mean?

Thanks for the information so far.

Can I use RCA out of my preamp with XLR into the amp? Do such interconnects exist and if so, any recommendations? I am using a Linn preamp into the MC402.

Thanks for the information everyone and Almarg - thank you for the links.

Has anyone compared balanced to unbalanced on the McIntosh MC402 Amp?

Shadorne - Not sure I understand all of your last post. Am I OK to use a RCA male output from my preamp and an XLR male input into the amp or do I need to include something else to avoid clipping? Thanks for the help.

All - thanks again for all the expertise.

It appears there is no damage that can be done to try an RCA male output from my Linn preamp and a XLR male input into the MC402 amp. I can try it relatively cheaply with the cables in the links provided above by Almarg and see how it sounds for myself!