Which is better is a debate that I've never seen definitively answered - and we've had a number of very knowledgeable folks weigh in on the issue around here (see the old 990 and balanced/unbalanced threads for the main examples). Balanced connections were developed for use with long cabling runs in hostile environments (recording studios, where the amount of EM and RF interference is substantial and cables had to run dozens of feet) - many people suggest that they're not needed when the run is only a meter or so in a home environment.