Totally valid point. In most cases, I think the layman will generally find an equivalently priced speaker setup over $600 sounds better. Reasons that I can thi

Totally valid point. In most cases, I think the layman will generally find an equivalently priced speaker setup over $600 sounds better. Reasons that I can think that someone might still go with open backs are: • Portability - You can move around your house or go running without leaving the music. • Less dependent of environment - they basically sound the same in a small, big, or acoustically reflective rooms. • Leak less sound than speakers - you can blast music without waking up your kids or downstairs neighbors. • Better high frequency reproduction - whereas full sound systems will generally do better with lower. EDIT: Added price stipulation to where speakers start to sound better. Agreed that if you're not willing to spend much and want to listen alone, headphones are the better choice.