Shorter speaker runs or shorter IC Runs...Which is the better set up and why?

XLRs when used in a truly balanced system are generally zero signal loss and low distortion, and some do sound better than others, but generally not by much (many decades of live sound work taught me this). So if balanced cables come in pairs, simply get what fits and yer done, and don't worry if one cable is too long as placement of your stuff can change. Shorter good speaker wires can save some bucks.

Decades of live sound work doesn't presume you've heard a good cable.

The whole point of going balanced is to get off of the exotic cable merry go round.
Imagine a technology where a $100 cable can sound as good as a cable that's $1000/foot. That's the balanced line system. So in effect, if one has been doing decades of live sound, the cables have worked as well as the best out there for the simple reason that the balanced line system works that way.
One caveat: pro audio gear supports the balanced line standard. Most high end audio stuff does not. In order for the cable to not have a sonic signature of its own, the equipment must support the standard. In a nutshell, here it is:
1) pin 1 is ground, pin 2 is non-inverting, pin 3 is inverting2) the system is low impedance; the source must have  the ability to drive 1000-2000 ohms without worries3) the system ignores ground (pin 1); no signal currents are passed through the pin 1 connection (shield of the cable). This is where most high end audio stuff misses the mark.4) the impedance to ground from either pin 2 or pin 3 is the same.
5) the signal travels within a twisted pair usually within a shield.

Ralph, can you explain why on Earth some designers and makers of consumer electronics go to the trouble and expensive of providing balanced connections (if not circuits), and then don't do it "correctly", to conform to the AES standard? To do that defeats the whole purpose of balanced! It costs no more to do it right, either. Just connect the correct wires to the correct XLR pins. Duh.

Missingtime...or "missing the point"...I was recording performers for a TV musician interview series a while back and noticed that better balanced cables sounded better, period. Using great headphones is an easy way to hear this, as simply live reinforced sound masks those benefits as they are relatively small. Understand? Good.