I used to use only laptop/headphones - but I could never get my final mix/mastered tracks to sound right: there were major out of balance issues to the point where some instruments were totally lost and others dominated, or the bass and bright issues were just awful. So I used some cheap KRK Rokit 5's for awhile along with my stereo keyboard amp - and while this was better, it was not good enough to give consistent and acceptable results when played on various media (mp3 player, auto/truck, living room stereo, computer speakers, on stage backing tracks, etc.). So last year I broke down and bought a pair of Yamaha HS8's and I've had no issues since. My mixed and mastered final tracks sound 100% better on all the media formats/systems. I also have an old set of Roland MA-8 stereo micro-monitors with 10cm/3cm woofers/tweeters which give a good representation of poorer quality and bass-deficient systems. If my mix sounds decent on the Yamahas and MA-8's, I've reached a 90% solution that my audience will enjoy. And if you're going to spend $500 or more on a good (not great) set of open-back headphones, why not go ahead and get the reference monitors for $700?