Thank you. By opting for an XLR only version, I may be taking up a challenge in cable compatibility. I currently own a second-hand Creek OBH-22 passive preamplifier that works beautifully with Blue Jeans LC1 RCA interconnects. It is rumored or probably an open secret that some high-end audio manufacturers prefer RCA to XLR, because the inherently simpler RCA actually sounds better.
My own view on RCA vs XLR goes something like this:
1) One is nor inherently sonically superior to the other
2) Balanced/XLR is indeed more impervious to induced noise in long cabling run and is therefore used extensively in pro audio
3) Home audio applications use relatively short cabling in relatively low noise environments such that induced noise is rarely a problem.
4) It costs more to design and manufacture proper balanced equipment
5) Balanced audio components tend to be better engineered with higher quality components, and therefore may sound better simply because they're a superior design/build, but not necessarily because balanced/XLR is inherently better sounding than single-ended/RCA.
6) Balanced audio equipment is generally priced higher with higher margins, and under the general rule of "if it costs more it must be better", is therefore perceived by consumers as being "better". Whether or not it sounds better. And I don't think it necessarily does.