[AlexLakis]

I don't think you're missing anything. Like you said, its all about perspective.

I have two plugins on the last inserts on my master bus: Panipulator and Realphones. The former I use for checking the mix in mono; the latter I use to check lows and mids, especially sub lows. If the kick drum and bass guitar aren't gelling correctly, Realphones reveals that (and in headphones too...HD600s if you're curious!)

So yeah, again, its all about perspective and making sure the mixes translate well. Nothing takes the place of a set of great studio monitors in a finely tuned room, but for a few hundred bucks all-in you can get a decent set of cans and some software to help you along the way. I feel its just as valuable as the old car or boombox test (and probably more relevant these days too!)