Hey guys! New BA owner. I just picked up a BA with the KR PX-4s at Craig's house about a couple weeks ago. I'm very lucky to live close to him as I got to seriously audition it before purchasing it, and Craig was very helpful and welcoming.
So anyway, and without getting into how the BA sounds in general, here are my first impressions in comparing headphones:
LCD-3 (balanced, q-audio cable): My personal favorite as it covers the entire frequency spectrum better than the others. No region sounds under or overrepresented. For all electronic or rock music, or any other relatively intense genre, without any doubt, this is the king. Every genre, however, sounds amazing. It also sounds like the most natural/analog of the pack. The soundstage is second only to the HD800s, though very close to the HE-6s. It's only discernable weakness seems to be a slight lack in center focus (not the BA's fault). Despite that, it's hard to imagine anyone complaining about the sound of this combo. It is definitely the best sound I've ever heard.
LCD-2 R1 (balanced stock cable): Haven't used it quite enough to make specific statements because I prefer the LCD-3. I do appreciate that it is less fatiguing at higher volumes due to its limited treble relative to the LCD-3s. If I had never listened to the LCD-3s, I doubt I would have much, if anything, to complain about this combo.
HD800 (SE stock cable): When I want the largest soundstage, best imaging, and/or prefer a slight reduction in bass impact, I grab these. As expected, these are the best for classical, jazz, or otherwise anything else acoustic. Most notably, the soundstage on this combo is ridiculous and easily surpasses the others in size and shape, providing a completely immersive experience (and I am soundstage obsessed). The HD800 definitely does not sound too bright. I would, however, like to try the HD800 with a balanced cable. I'm curious why or how some others found the combo unsatisfying.
HE-6 (balanced, stock cable): Although the HE-6/BA combo sounds very good on many tracks, I do not believe that the BA is optimal for the HE-6. To be picky, it sounds a bit thin, or lacking in the lower regions of the spectrum. The BA manages to cure the HD800's propensity to sounding thin, but not quite on the HE-6. Just to clarify, this is not a volume issue. When my DAC is set at around zero gain, the volume can be painfully high around 3 o'clock, with 9.5 db of gain for the DAC to spare. Again, however, the combo does sound very good. It's just not as good as the rest IMO. The LCD-3 seems to do everything better with slightly less treble presence. (this is an initial impression so it may change)
In sum, I tend to listen to LCD-3s and HD800s the most, and switch depending on the music (in general, LCD-3 for electronic, and HD800 for acoustic). The two are very complementary.
To clarify, every headphone I've heard sounds amazing on the BA. These comments are simply relative.
