First Foray into XLR

I’m not sure of the budget myself. I don’t want to spend so little there’s no chance of getting a benefit, and/or restricting the performance that’s available with the equipment I have. Somewhere comfortably below ‘diminishing returns’, if that’s possible?
thanks for the responses so far...

Good point on the ‘bridged’ term. I suspect it’s supposed to read ‘balanced’, but that’s a guess. It was recommended to me by someone who doesn’t sell Odyssey (obviously), but is familiar, that i use the balanced connections as it’s a ‘true’ balanced design. FWIW

Thanks for the info. I will see what I can out. Thanks...

should I amend the question to ‘what cables of either configuration would people here recommend to someone who’s sceptical but willing to try something more than freebie cables’?

I’m impressed with the 2 channel performance given my current receiver. Imaging is wide and relatively deep, and high. Music as a whole is involving, with pace, rhythm, and no fatigue, individual notes well defined. I’m curious as to what else might be there.....

I found a pic online that appeared to show a jumper from RCA input to XLR, and given other warnings here and elsewhere, I’m sticking to RCA.

so, for a first-timer stepping up from cheapie interconnnects, what do you need to know from me to make recs that are financially easy to swallow given my doubts, but good enough to be worth the step up. I know that’s throwing chum in the water, but I really have no idea where to star, and by default would just use what I already have...

Thanks Al and ieales et al. So the moral is, ‘who knows, keep trying til you find what you like’, or alternatively, ‘plug the rabbit hole!’

it does make sense, cables would be another component that can add or detract, to varying degrees, what is ultimately heard. 

I do think, in my application, XLR makes no sense - the amp isn’t a true balanced design, so I’d be converting anyway, and that does seem to be detrimental. 

Everything works as-is, so I’ll pick one pair of interconnects at a time and experiment.