Balanced cables

I'd like to thank @atmasphere and @almarg for participating whenever discussions involve balanced cables / components.

I've noticed a few assumptions that lead to confusion surrounding balanced cables / components. Here's how I generally cut to the chase:

1. XLR terminations on a cable do not (necessarily) mean the cable is of a balanced design. Sometimes the designers design to the "spec", sometimes they get close, sometimes they don't care.
   
2. XLR connectors on a component do not (necessarily) mean the component is of a balanced design. Sometimes the designers design to the "spec", sometimes they get close, sometimes they don't care.
   
3. When designers design to the balanced "spec", things play together with less variance due to the component interactions through the connections (and have less impact through noise that may be injected into the system). Everything else requires much more "trial and error" with regard component matching.

In summary, the value of balanced components using balanced cables (generally leveraging XLR terminations / connectors) designed to the the balanced "spec" are 2 fold:

1. What @cleeds states  - Common Mode Rejection Ratio. CMRR (in overly-simplifed terms) mean when noise enters the signal path, it affects the (+) and (-) legs identically. When the (-) signal is inverted and summed with the (+) signal, that noise magically cancels itself out.
   
2. The input (and output) impedance of the components are sufficiently low (or high, respectively) for generally optimal transfer of signal.
   

@2channel,
+1

Bob

As was mentioned above, the output of a "balanced circuit", if truly balanced, will almost always double the output voltage of that device. Just because a component has XLR connectors, doesn't mean the circuit is fully balanced.  I don't care when the term "balanced" was introduced, the outcome is the same. Balanced cables are a huge asset when running longer lengths, or when cris-crossing line voltage wiring.  You have two separate signal wires, both shielded by the woven mesh.  This eliminates possible 60hz hum, or IR interference, that can and sometimes will present itself, when using SE cables.  I wish my Rhea had balanced phono inputs, but as someone once said, " you can wish in one hand a shat in the other and see which one fills up first."  As far as SE phono interconnects, I found that when making my own, using 2 conductor with a messed shield, leaving the mesh out of the circuit on one end, will greatly improve the sound, by keeping the signal wires shielded from any interference that may be picked up from induction.  In the long run, no pun intended, whatever works best for you, is what you should use.  The original question was about different brands, not if balanced is better.  For me and my application, balanced works best for me.

Do balanced interconnects, perhaps because of common mode noise rejection, tend to suppress even order harmonics?

Could this be one reason some people feel single-ended connections sound more natural and musical than balanced connections?