I too have learned that even if something has balanced jacks or connectors, doesn't mean it is actually a balanced circuit. The connectors can have one of the pins dead, passing the signal on the other two pins. Learned the hard way on that a few years back.
Disservice: XLR interconnects
I ended up shelling out some serious bucks and buying Cardas XLR interconnects and connected them between the Luxman C900U, M10X and the hifi Rose RS150B. I am blown away, at the details and just how it bumped up the sensation of just the beautiful musicality..
I have to say, I am no longer in the camp of cables don't matter. In fact, I think folks who say cables do not matter are doing a great disservice to the audiophile community.