I agree with Josh...certainly I've heard that the benefits of XLR might not be significant on shorter cable runs, and the quality of the XLR connectors (both on the cable and in the component) are bigger factors than the cable itself, but I've not heard before the idea that XLR/balanced cables are by default inferior to RCA/single-ended.
The best way to judge is to try out some different cables (both XLR and RCA) and see what you prefer...
