XLR cables for a reasonable price?

It appears that many here maybe missing the premiss of how/why this thread was started.  The premiss being that if your preamp and amp meet the balanced standard you should not hear a difference between properly constructed XLR interconnects when the XLR interconnects are used between a preamp and amp that meet the balanced standard.  It has nothing to do with RCA cables or other types of cables or many other things as many continue to talk about. If you do hear a difference between XLR interconnects when they are used to connect a preamp to an amp then chances are the preamp and/or amp do not meet the balanced standard.  It does not necessarily mean that the preamp and amp are not quality components. Quite the contrary, there are quality audio components that do not meet the balanced standard. What is does mean is that to improve SQ you may have to spend more money on interconnects and/or continue to chase you tail if your preamp and amp do not meet the standard.  Again, I thought that is what was asked in the original OP and how this discussion at least got started.  Can we all at least agree on that :-).

I sure can. One of the problems, and a big one, as I see it, is Ralph's endless self-advertising. As if there were no other good amps or engineering approaches. There are, and many. I believe that manufacturers and dealers should be honorably dismissed. It doesn't matter how much knowledge and skill they might have, this is not a proper place for them to be.

Mogami 2534 with Furutech 701 balanced connectors, personally I prefer the 701's to the much more expensive 601 series, Take Five Audio has everything you need to build your own or they can professionally terminate the cables for you. A professional quality termination on your balanced cable is going to matter more than the actual cable used in this application but Mogami cables perform above and beyond their price level add a great connector and Gene's skill at building cables you end up with a cable that is very tough to beat.

If you don’t need the additional noise rejection of a quad cable, consider the twisted pair Mogami W2549, which shares the same materials and shielding of the W2534.

High Quality Balanced Microphone Cable Neglex Type #22AWG

W2549 has been designed using our famous Neglex OFC to provide the highest quality audio reproduction in any recording application. It features #22AWG conductors and extremely low capacitance. The 100% coverage served shield and twisted pair construction is excellent at preventing noise caused by electromagnetic interference. This cable is recommended when extended high frequencies are important or where long cable runs may be needed.

Part No. W2549

+1 for Blue Jeans Cable