[mbrock]

But records aren't typically mastered to sound best on neutral equipment, since most people don't use monitor speakers or neutral amplifiers. Engineers use high quality neutral systems when mixing, but only because they're predictable and of high quality. They optimize for the typical systems of their target audience, mostly, no?

[gregsq]

Yes, esoteric or 'accurate' sound reproduction equipment isn't preferred. For example, the famous Yamaha NS10 loudspeaker used for sound mixing is not a speaker that a music listener can bear for very long. Its tiring. But they are very useful for understanding how a recording will sound on televisions, radios, iPods and other common playback devices.

The idea is is that if you can make a mix sound good through them, they'll satisfy as a general purpose sound product.