OK- why just ARC and Pass- no other choices?
I would suggest a balanced tube preamp for a Pass and there are plenty out there.
All the "balanced" hype is pure BS.
This statement is false. To start with there is no hype. To end with, the balanced line system was devised specifically eliminate artifact from cables. If you like one cable over another in an audition, then you know what I mean by 'artifact'.
I am constantly amazed that there is any push back at all on balanced line- you'd think audiophile types would love a cable that is simultaneously inexpensive, tonally neutral, low noise and revealing, in any length. Why pay more for cables that don't bring home the bacon?