Interesting article but doesn't the article say that consumer level XLR connections on consumer level audio equipment are not providing the noise reduction that balanced can give because there is no processing of the signal at the receiving end. It is the same with the now very popular "balanced" out put from DAPs to IEMs or headphones where 4v drives them rather than the 2v with "unbalanced" but there cant be any noise reduction because the + to gnd and the - to gnd signals are not compared. the result is louder/stronger but less noisy?
A.Consumer
I think you are conflating two issues with consumer equipment:
1) Some consumer equipment with balanced connections is not true differential balanced, which negates the advantage from common mode rejection. Over time, less consumer equipment seems to have fake balanced connections.
2) Consumer equipment runs at 4v max for balanced (approx +14dbu) and pro at 12.25v (+24dbu). This higher voltage gives a 10db potential greater sn ratio.
Here is the catch. Even RCA cables have a sn ratio of over 110db, well in excess of nearly all consumer equipment not to mention the source material and listening environment. Consumer environments also don’t typically have the long runs and electrical noise of pro environments, the primary reason for balanced connections. Nor are consumers mixing 24bit audio where the recording may (but it is extremely unlikely) been made at a low enough level to need the extra sn ratio to retrieve the lowest level information (the recording would have to be made at least -30dbfs, which would only happen by mistake). In real world terms, balanced offers no advantage in a home environment, unless you have a noise issue or very long runs.
That said, I use balanced in my main system as it has them. I also like xlr connectors better than rca. Personally, I use worlds best cables from amazon, the are inexpensive, use good connectors, and wire from canare or mogami.