by Martin » Sat Sep 15, 2012 12:17 pm
Really, Mittz, it's down to several factors. Among them being; The quality of speakers, the quality of headphones, the space you are in (with regards to speakers). As a rule, cheap headphones will perceptively give a better sound reproduction than cheap speakers. This is because the latter has to deal with the acoustics of the space it's in, outside noise etc, and cut through all of that. Whereas speakers drive the sound directly into your ears.
It's also subjective, of course. Headphones allow one to hear exactly what's been sequenced in Logic/whatever pretty much the way the soundcard outputs it to audio. Again, not quite true, as even headphones will 'colour' the sound. A piece of music will only sound exactly the way the artist recorded it whilst one is in the same studio the song is recorded in, through the same equipment.
The fact that you (probably) listen to your music through lossy compression formats also has an impact on the fidelity. This is a fact, though the extent to which you notice it will depend on; your ears, and the quality of your sound delivery system (speakers, headphones). As you can see, there are many factors. I tend to prefer speakers, as I listen to music a lot whilst I'm doing something. Especially when I'm doing chores around the house.
The best way to listen to music is to go on see an orchestra in a venue designed specifically for acoustics, where there is absolutely no amplification involved. This means pure, natural analogue sound going right to your ears.