But you don't go from iPod earbuds to high end audio speakers in a jump (usually). I'd say most people buying high end stuff already have a solid pair of headph

But you don't go from iPod earbuds to high end audio speakers in a jump (usually). I'd say most people buying high end stuff already have a solid pair of headphones at the very least, and monitor speakers are, by definition, fairly flat in response. If you know what you want, you know why you want it, and you know what brands/models will give you the sound you want. If you don't know what you want, a fairly standard pair of monitor speakers will sound terrific. Like I have a hard time believing someone who picks up set of HS series Yamaha monitor is going to be like "Oh wow, these sound too forward for me". That being said, I do think speakers can make a big different. I have a buddy who has a set of Ohms speakers from 72, and listening to music from that era (like Led Zepplin) does sound better than listening to it on something more modern, because it was mixed with similar speakers. It's cork sniffing at a certain point to me, but people who are really into it can really hear it.