Balanced a good decision. Why?

Usually it's about the same.  First, is your preamp even balanced at all?  Many just ground the (-) pin and provide balanced inputs for convenience only.

However, if that's not the case, then balanced can provide better noise isolation and less chances for ground loops.

Balanced connections have crossed over from the professional world and are designed to be noise free for relatively long runs compared to RCA, but in the short distances of the average stereo rack it's usually about the same.

I happen to run balanced from my DAC to my integrated, about 2' but I don't think I'd hear a difference if I switched.

What ever works. Unless it's a long run you'll get nothing extra out of balanced. 

If the manufacturer of both components has a balanced design then that is most likely whatever they used (single ended or balanced) will sound better. The manufacturer of my components (Audio Research) uses a fully balanced designs and recommends using balanced interconnects… I tried both, I couldn’t tell the difference. So, I went with balanced as it is the future of newer gear. I am sure Audio Research put a lot of effort into converting to single ended internally in case you used it… less expensive brands will probably not. So, using the native component mode might be most appropriate.