RCA vs XLR and Balanced vs Unbalanced

If you a long run and potential noise problem XLRs really help. If you don't have EMI RFI noise issues, RCAs and the length of the run work just fine. One thing is for sure XLRs have a better secure connection.
The exception is locking RCAs.

Most XLRs are louder too. 3 or 6 db something like that.

BTW not all balanced systems are created equal.. They can have XLR plugs and cable but not be balanced.. There are a FEW tube amps that way..

Someone will chime in with all the tech stuff. 

Noise is the issue and are you happy with what you already have? 

Regards

XLR are made for professional use where wire runs can be a hundred meters and there could easily be a hundred of them, on equipment being moved around a lot, connected and disconnected. All the features of XLR are made with professional use in mind. Connecting XLR for example the pins are designed to contact ground before signal thus avoiding the pop and noise of RCA.

The vast majority of audiophiles think professional must be better, that 20 ft is "long" and so on. If you want to buy into that you might at least want to consider how much of what you are paying for in XLR is features like locking mechanisms you will never need.

That is just the XLR wire part. Balanced means different things. In the vast majority of cases XLR connections are put there for convenience, for those who have XLR because they bought into that whole thing. But there is no balanced circuit. For the simple reason, a balanced circuit is two circuits that are then compared on the idea any distortion will be different, we will design the circuit to remove the difference, and wala everything is better.

Big drawback with this being quality in audio rules over all. Easiest way to make something better is improve the quality of the individual parts. Balanced circuits require twice the parts, so what do you suppose that does to parts quality? Right.

This is tough to do, but if you can find a fully balanced component with both RCA and XLR and identical RCA and XLR interconnects, so what is truly being compared is balanced/unbalanced, then you can hear for yourself what I am talking about. I did this once and that is how I know the above explanation is correct. You pay a big premium for things you simply do not need, and gain precious little for your hard-earned audiophile dollar.

The simple fact is that balanced cables (only in a true balancdd system) are easier the build for high fidelity. Otherwise the cable must jump through expensive hoops to get the return (outer) line to equal the performance of the inner. Ray Kimber and Mike Morrow have figured how to do it economically. OR pay up.
Just find truly balanced hardware. There is plenty of it around. Or just go integrated. But NONE of them have the features I desire.