which XLR cables?

Here's some opinions I hold. Whether balanced will be better than single ended is totally dependent on the equipment being connected, as some have indicated. I have only come across around a dozen brands where balanced will work better, and that assumes you have one of those brands at both ends of the cable. As a very wild generalisation single ended will most times be better. When balanced is better, it is true that there is less difference between the sound of cables than for single ended cables, but there is still a difference.