What is the benefit of balanced xlr cables

In a passive system XLR provides the needed gain.
I experienced this when I replaced the RCA with XLR, between my TVC and amp.

"11-27-14: Bo1972
When you are aware of the properties of each single part in your system you understand better what you will get. Ayre has his own sound. This openness in the mid en high freq. is a lot different than others. I think the silver can cause a harsness in mid and high freq. The thing what it makes unique in my set is that is gives a stunning level ( new level) of differences in height. Beside this I never auditioned any expensive highend cable with this level of physical apperance."

He's right. I have an Ayre/Vandersteen system with AQ cables. I find that all silver doesn't always sound better. I use both copper and silver.

Audio is about understanding all the different properties a tool owns. That is why I test all the time. After this I know all the properties of the cable. After this I can use it a lot more easy. When you work this way you always will get a much higher endresult than they the way almost all people work and think.

When you use an create all parts in your set ( total sound) which need to be there it gets to a much higher level. Often I need to put in parts which are missing are parts which go wrong in a set. Even at shows I seldom audition a set which is complete and owns all parts of what I call Total Sound. In 10 seconds I can describe exactley which parts are there and which are missing!

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... :)

If the Hot and Cold XLR electronics is not well matched then the noise filtering/cancelling process can be even stronger where even more 2nd, and even 3rd, order harmonics are removed. I guess that will provide a smoother, maybe warmer, sound :)