Balanced versus single ended

I didn’t read all the responses but I don’t know if anybody talked about, in true balanced, how one of the signal paths is inverted. So over the course of the cable if any RF or electromatic electromagnetic interference is introduced when the inverted signal is flipped back over at the destination those additions to the signal cancel out. This is why XLR is especially good for long runs. The additional line for the single path is also responsible for the 6 dB gain

Is that a description of CMRR?
(Common Mode Rejection Ratio?)

+1 to Ralph. I switched to Dif/True balanced systems decades ago. That said, I do find differences in mfg XLR cables (including length of identical cables), which could be the XLRs themselves, and/or quality of solder/ joints, as well as the wire, shielding, jacketing...

That said, I do find differences in mfg XLR cables (including length of identical cables), which could be the XLRs themselves, and/or quality of solder/ joints, as well as the wire, shielding, jacketing...

@tweak1 This is why I harp about AES48 and low impedance operation! If your gear is neither (for example any balanced ARC preamp and I'm not picking on them in particular) then you will hear cable differences. That's not supposed to happen. But too much 'high end audio' equipment does not support the balanced standard even though it really is otherwise balanced.

@atmasphere

It is a Peter Madnick design: Audio Alchemy DDP- 1> LSA Voyager 350 GaN amp. I never considered that the DDP-1 might not be True/Dif balanced. This certainly isn’t definitive from TAS review Robert Harley 3/2016: I began by listening to LPs, driving the DDP-1’s balanced analog input, and none of the other reviews say so, but here in an Agon discussion; I was told that the DDP-1 is completely balanced from the DAC chip to XLR jack including a 4-gang Alps potentiometer (one deck per phase per channel).  .

I recall replacing Silver Surfer XLRs with WireWorld Platinum Eclipse 8 - HUGE difference in quality. Im not inclined to A/B them at this point, though, it might eat at me. However, I used a sample Nano 45 graphene contact enhancer on the WWs, and can’t find the rest, so I assume that would skew the A/B

I recall replacing Silver Surfer XLRs with WireWorld Platinum Eclipse 8 - HUGE difference in quality. Im not inclined to A/B them at this point, though, it might eat at me. However, I used a sample Nano 45 graphene contact enhancer on the WWs, and can’t find the rest, so I assume that would skew the A/B

FWIW you can have an entirely differential balanced preamp and it may not support the balanced standard. If you hear differences like you describe above it probably doesn't.

Back in the 1950s in the Golden Age of Stereo a great number of remarkable recordings were made. They still sound great today- and the better our systems get the better these recordings sound. They have the kind of neutrality that they do largely because the balanced line system is an exotic cable technology- but instead of spending the money on the cables, the money is spent on driving them and handling them correctly so colorations are eliminated. 

Cable manufacturers hate it when I talk about this! That's because if the standard is supported in your equipment, its very difficult for them to make a sale if you listen to what your ears are telling you.