What is the benefit of balanced xlr cables

When the tool is really build ballanced inside there is a easily difference to be heard.

I would suggest that the same could be said for RCA electronics... whatever that tool/component is...

Perhaps Audioquest RCA ICs could be better, especially for the prices being suggested... whatever those prices may be...

When the tool is really build ballanced inside there is a easily difference to be heard.

For me it depends on the RCA or XLR electronics and the quality of the RCA or XLR ICs not whether it is RCA or XLR... that's how I hear it :)

Unfortunately, XLR electronics remove 2nd order harmonics as part of the XLR noise filtering/cancelling process, which our ears like, but leaves the 3rd order harmonics in place including the noise, which our ears do not like... :)

I don't say it also works better, but in most cases it does when it is build real balanced inside.

"Perhaps Audioquest RCA ICs could be better, especially for the prices being suggested... whatever those prices may be..."

That's a little vague. How would you suggest they improve? And adjust their prices?

One thing that Bo didn't mention about AQ RCA IC's is that they are still balanced cables internally. All of AQ's IC's have 3 separate solid core conductors (unless they made recent changes that I'm not aware of). Most likely, that's why the price is the same for RCA and XLR. Also, AQ is very good about re-terminating. At any time, you can send them your RCA terminated IC's and they will change them to XLR's for you. It's been a while since I did this, but the price was not too bad. Now, if we could only get them to fix their power cords.

So, Audioquest's RCA ICs are actually designed to be XLR ICs?

Perhaps that is the reason their XLR ICs is better than their RCA ICs?