balanced interconnect (xlr) vs RCA

[admin_exported]

Can anyone tell me what the difference is between a balanced interconnect and a regular RCA interconnect? I mean, I have been using regular RCA interconnects till now - can I just switch to "balanced" (xlr) interconnect? Would it improve sound quality? CD player is the Cyrus CD 6S and amp is Rotel RA 1062. I see the xlr plug is actually different from the RCA plug, so I suppose the piece of balanced hi-fi equipment must come with special xlr sockets.

 

[CnoEvil]

I will let Atlas cables tell you the difference (para 6.5):
http://www.atlascables.com/right-connection.html

They can make a difference if both components are fully balanced...but it's often equipment dependent, so trial and error is needed.