Rib,
You should be able to look at your manual and look at the output via xlr vs RCA and see what the manufacturer says its doing. It is not uncommon to see different output voltages for the different outputs in specs.
My old Esoteric X03 cd player played great via rca into my preamp but the balanced out overloaded the preamp input due to higher output voltage. It sounded better until it clipped (distorted). It is not uncommon. Balanced is/was designed for longer cable runs so makes sense it has a more robust signal for traveling further.
You should be able to look at your manual and look at the output via xlr vs RCA and see what the manufacturer says its doing. It is not uncommon to see different output voltages for the different outputs in specs.
My old Esoteric X03 cd player played great via rca into my preamp but the balanced out overloaded the preamp input due to higher output voltage. It sounded better until it clipped (distorted). It is not uncommon. Balanced is/was designed for longer cable runs so makes sense it has a more robust signal for traveling further.