To balance or not to balance . . .

[mikmas]

Many years ago I worked in the theatre and, in my spare time, dabbled in live music.
In that context XLR, or simply Cannon, plugs were ubiquitous and fairly early on I got plenty of explanations as to why; very long cable runs and very secure (usually locking) connectors. If you worked in that environment you found out pretty quickly why the secure connections were paramount (usually the hard way ) as well as the godsend that is gaffer tape....

Outside of that , XLR connections in the vast majority of domestic settings are IMHO just another way of chucking money down the drain ... along with pointlessly fancy and exotic RCA plug materials.

I would be more concerned with the limitations of the Toslink connection (if optical) than the questionable benefits balancing might bring.