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Interconnects, speaker wire, power cords. Ask the Cable Guys.

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Balanced operation is superior if both source and load are

Posted by Al Sekela on August 6, 2006 at 13:05:57:
truly balanced, which simply means each has equal impedances to ground from both the normal and inverted signal pins. This is independent of other connections in the system.
In your setup, if the CDP and preamp are both truly balanced, then you will get improved performance from using balanced cables from the CDP to the preamp, then single-ended from the preamp to your power amp, compared to running all single-ended, as long as the cables are of similar quality.
The thing to be aware of is that much expensive home audio gear sports XLR connectors but does not have equal impedances from the two signal pins to ground. This means you should confirm that your equipment is truly balanced before you invest money and time in balanced cables. Unless you get a screaming deal on a set of cables, don't waste time and money on using balanced cables from the preamp to the power amp before you get a power amp with truly balanced inputs. There are adapters, but using them defeats much of the benefit.