balanced vs unbalanced

All things being equal, and assuming that the balanced is properly implemented (a lot of times it isn't!), balanced is the way to go.

Depending on the circuit details........some may need jumpers, others will not.

If your equipment is working fine, you have no ground loops, long interconnect runs between components or some noisy electromagnetic sources/wires very close by (like an AC) then I doubt you can hear any difference.

Balanced will be better in any of the above conditions but in practice RCA is good enough.

What is it about the performance of your current setup that leaves you unsatisfied?

In other words, just because we CAN do something doesn't necessarily mean that we should.

If you have not identified a specific improvement criteria, then blindly making changes may or may not do many things; some desirable, some not.

If you can run balanced- do so. Balanced cables are more effective than their single-ended counterparts and the system will sound better for that reason alone- assuming that the amp is indeed balanced internally.

The original balanced standard was developed decades ago specifically to get around interconnect problems. If you think about it, all the best recordings of the 50s and 60s were done with balanced cables. If there was a problem with 150' long microphone interconnects (like the ones Mercury used to record at Northrup Auditorium in Minneapolis), you'd think you'd here it with today's equipment. But you don't and in fact many of those recordings are regarded as reference quality today.

I would think an audiophile would *jump* at the chance to eliminate the vulgarities that an interconnect cable can introduce! That's what balanced lines are *for*!!

Jumpers: some components recommend, some dont require it. Going to balanced usually increases the gain and allows a longer run of cable with less loss.