XLR to RCA plugs or cable

OK that assumes good solder equipment
and skills no?

It is not very hard, but the custom cable (option 3) is easier.
A good iron, solder, some desolder wicking, flux, and a vice is maybe $100.

What lengths do they need to be?
And how much does the custom cable cost?
Do you have other cables that could benefit from custom lengths?

It is not hard, so it is whether you would ever use it again, which I do, but you may not.
No easy answer here.

I am not messing with you!  I can solder small stuff and have done many speaker wire terminations.I do model trains and the decoders inside them now with LED lighting and resistors takes a learning curve. I was just trying to point out that it is not for everyone, but manufacturers can do it!  I agree the less stuff the better and I especially dislike adapters.  I will run my ethernet straight through the wall vs using a cheap plate that installers love so much.   TAKE CARE!  KEN.

Both Cardas adapters are great. No sonic difference with the clear adapters. I have 2 sets in the system. RCA phono into XLR preamp and preamp out into RCA amp. I tried the cheap ones and they did alter the sound.

Do you mean Neutrik? 

I recently bought (and returned) the premium (~$200/pr) Cardas XLR-to-RCA adapters that I had hoped would perform the same function as the OP describes. Turns out the Cardas adapters are wired internally to join Pin 2 and Pin 3 together. The result for me was no sound whatsoever. In an XLR, the two signal conductors (Pin 2 and  Pin 3), when joined together, cancel the signal completely! Why Cardas does this is beyond me…