Which balanced IC between pre amp and power amp?

I run balanced ICs between everything I have. IMHO the balanced cables are not much different than anything with RCAs., and I mean by the brand such as Silnote XLR is sonically not much different than Silnote RCA. Others will argue than XLR's are only better for long lengths. I disagree. I think Silnote is a good start but like all cables the more you spend the better it will be. Silnote, Amati cables are a great cable, and Acoustic Zen Matrix. I am not a fan of Morrow, Cardas is too sweet for me, and Signal too bright. I run tubes nothing solid state save for the phonostage so YMMV. Like everything else in audio it is all system dependent.

I think you’ll be surprised how a set of Canare Star Quad XLR cables sound and they’re cheap. B&H Photo has 3ft pair for around $40. They’re sold as singles so make sure to order as a pair. Be surprised if you purchase them you won’t agree they’re pretty darn good. Fairly neutral cable that does nothing wrong.

I disagree with zkidd regarding Signal Cable being bright. I find their cables to be anything but. I use their balanced top of the line Silver Resolution model with Mcintosh. It replaced much more costly cables. I'm completely  satisfied with them and have no desire to play the cable game any longer. Back in the day i used B&K separates with great sucess. Their sonic signature is a little to the softer side of neutral, so the Signals I mentioned will give you more details without any harshness. Plus you get a 30 day trial period, and Frank is great to work with. But as always, with cables you need to try them to find the ones that float your boat. Hope this helps.

For a second system I too would not want to dump a lot of cash on wires.  I just read about Raven cables, and on their website their Soniquil balanced interconnects are listed at $119 and come with a 45-day trial period.  What intrigues me about these is that they seem very well made, and the designer used them at shows with $40k worth of his top electronics that he also makes, and his rooms get rave reviews.  That says a lot to me, so they certainly seem worth a shot. 

Another cheaper per option would be Cullen Copper XLR interconnects that cost a very reasonable $95.  Hope this helps, and best of luck. 

Pro audio shops will make up cables to your order from excellent materials at a reasonable price. In my best system, I use balanced cables made by ProAudioLA from Mogami W2549 and gold-plated Neutrik connections. I think a 25’ pair, some years ago, was about US$100.

In single-blind tests, a number of experienced listeners (including a composer and an audio designer) found the cables notably less colored than some $2200 cables from a boutique brand that I was evaluating.

(The Mogami cable is similar in quality to the Canare recommended by another poster. Both are widely used in the commercial recording and broadcasting industries.)