I have a CA 301. When I first got the system, I noticed a bit of low level noise/hum. At first, I thought it was the tubes in the ARC LS16 pre-amp, so I switched them out. Then, I put in a dedicated line. Still had hum. I called up the dealer, asking about balanced IC's. His opinion was that my 1 meter runs probably would NOT benifit from balanced operation, but why not try it. I went over and borrowed some old demo AudioQuest diamond XLRs. The difference was dramatic, the noise was cut so low that I have to put my ear to the speaker to hear it now. (Not my usual listening position;)
I bought the diamonds, then bought another pair here on Audiogon for the run between the CDP and the preamp. All balanced now.
The negative impact was the additional gain of the classe 301 in the balanced mode. My pre-amp volume position dropped in half. Generaly it is recommended to take as much voltage gain as early on for improved signal to noise ratio. However, I think that the inherent noise cancellation of the balanced mode outweighs the reduced SN ratio in my system.
I recommend that you try it, and let your ears make the decision.
I bought the diamonds, then bought another pair here on Audiogon for the run between the CDP and the preamp. All balanced now.
The negative impact was the additional gain of the classe 301 in the balanced mode. My pre-amp volume position dropped in half. Generaly it is recommended to take as much voltage gain as early on for improved signal to noise ratio. However, I think that the inherent noise cancellation of the balanced mode outweighs the reduced SN ratio in my system.
I recommend that you try it, and let your ears make the decision.