Balanced vs. Non-balanced

Yep - phono cartridge to phono stage is the one place where the signal is so low that noise is a big issue in a home. Not sure about XLRs (except that they are the standard and what’s available, but we’re talking "should" not "do") - but balanced, yes.  

Xlr all the way 6db increase ground separate not on rca sheilding.try your ears and see.enjoy the music.

Use whatever component you want to connect it to because there's no objective difference in sound unless there are problems with manufacturing or possibly poor shielding.

@doyle3433 

The primary advantage to balanced connections is that you can run long interconnects between sources, preamp and amplifier without picking up extraneous noises or interference and without signal loss over the length of the interconnect. Balanced however, requires two identical circuits one for left and right which doubles the number of circuit board components in each of the above referenced devises and raises cost.

Ultimately, using this feature depends how you have your system configured regarding component location and if balanced is advantages to you or if you prefer it's sound over single ended if you can notice a difference. 

Doyle3433 is spot on.  The only advantage of balanced is if your interconnects are quite long (over 15 ft or so).  Also true balanced output will be 6db louder so when u compare make sure u compensate