Balanced cables

Just last year I bought a $3,100 XLR cable.
Seven meter Kimber KS1116

For that money you could get a preamp with high output (around 18 volts vs the regular 2 volts). A better higher output component will be unaffected by either the type of XLR cable and/or length. Usually it is interconnect capacitance that affects weak low cost consumer (low-fi) gear resulting in less dynamics. RCA is terrible but of course no serious audiophile would ever use RCA. 

Again it is sad to see folks misplacing blame on interconnects when it is the components that are at fault for any audible degradation.

gdnrbob, yes the Kimber KS1116 was a significant improvement.
Compared to Kimber Hero the KS1116 has a lot less grunge (the Hero has great bass btw, just not even close clean sounding)
The Parsec was anemic, and just no damn good at seven meters. though at one meter as I mentioned, Parsec sounds great)
The home made with Kimber wire had almost the clarity, but alas, has that slight lean through the midrange problem.
It took me two years to decide yeah I wanted to splurge on the Kimber KS1116. And I am glad i bought it. And Yes it made a difference I can easily hear.
I also bought four 1.5 meter sets of Kimber KS1016, which are the RCA version with the same wire used in the KS1116 XLR.
(so in total I spent $7,500 on Kimber KS interconnects
I would say the KS wires are (probably) the 'last IC' I will ever buy.
(PS I still use and enjoy a Cardas Parsec one meter XLR, and the combo of a few/one Parsec and some Kimber KS really are synergistic.)
The Cardas thrown into the KS gives a hinted at, but noticeable, tiny pearl like touch to the edges of the notes.. Just amazing and particularly can be heard on piano sonatas. I have the Parsec from my Audio Research Sp-15 preamp I keep around just to use the wonderful 3 tube phone section in it. (from Kuzma Stogi Stabi S, Dynavector 17D3)

And to bring it back to the topic at hand:
But for the wire is just wire folks, naturally this is all just in my imagination. LOL

@elizabeth, again.
Given the posts by Almarg and Atmasphere, do you consider your equipment to be fully balanced?
B

gdnrbob,
No, my equipment is NOT fully balanced.
The amplifier does make use of the balanced signal (and can be switched to reduce the 6dB gain if desired I believe with resistors)
But it too is a not balanced through and through design.
The Bryston preamp uses the standard op amp to create a negative leg in the 'balanced' output.
So do my ARC SP-15, and my DAC which has 'balanced outputs.
So nothing I own is a true balanced design.

And I see nothing which would make such designs a requirement for better sound. Better market snobbery sure, but when it comes to better sound, true balanced mainly seem to belong to the marketing gimmicks... even though it might make for a good sounding product.
Though for cost no object state of the art, spending twice as much to build the same end result might be OK.

true balanced mainly seem to belong to the marketing gimmicks...

@elizabeth ,
I disagree. From what Ralph/atmasphere has written, it is clear that a true balanced circuit-while not saying it sounds better, provides the means to transfer a signal with far less chance of being affected by noise or being affected by cable design.
I think this is why you are hearing differences between different cables. 

spending twice as much to build the same end result might be OK.

But, you ended up spending a lot of money buying cables.

And I see nothing which would make such designs a requirement for
better sound.

Again, I disagree. Designs like fully balanced, zero feedback and OTL, definitely do make a positive difference.
Though I have no doubt that you have an excellent stereo system, and a sensitive ear, I only wish we could compare our two systems. I think it would be enlightening for both of us.
Bob