I'm Getting Unbalanced About Balanced

It all depends on which components you have.
Some components are fully balanced, while others are not.
Some components sound better using single ended RCAs while some components sound better with XLR balanced.
It is all very component (and sometimes system) specific.

You need to read the manufacturers literature to see if a component is truly balanced.

You are not necessarily wasting your money by going with RCSs. Some components do sound better run with single ended RCSs.

KF

What are your components?

If you are unsure if a component is truly balanced or not go to the source, ask the manufacturer if it is balanced or merely accepts XLR inputs. Either way it will make a difference with different cables be it single ended(rca) or balanced- best thing is to try a few in your system and find what you like best- and that's simple now with so many companies offering in home trial, just let the cable settle in your system and burn in for a few days of constant play before you judge it.