[Spandy87]

I posted something in the other thread but I think it got missed...
 
Anyways here goes.
 
I want to spend some money on new headphones and an amp but I need to know a few things first.
 
I'm looking at a few headphones mostly gaming. Most people recommend something with wide soundstage and a small bass for competitive gaming, but I prefer a wide soundstage and big yet defined bass with lots of impact. The reason for this is because I play a lot of bad company 2 (and soon battlefield 3), and other games that don't really require a thin bass response to pinpoint the activity. I can see that being useful for CS:Source, or CoD4 but IMO those games have garbage sound quality anyways.
 
I want a more theatrical experience.
I want wide soundstage.
I want big bass, but with tonal definition.
 
These are the headphones I'm considering (as an upgrade from Denon D1001)
 
Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro 250 ohm
Beyerdynamic DT880 Pro 250 ohm
MMX 300 (I don't know too much about this one, but is it actually decent?)
Denon D2000
 
I did get a chance to try both the AKG 702, and the Sennheiser 650. The 650 did sound good and accurate -not really all that fun and not what I'm looking for, but still good sound. The AKG 702 sounded really nice and wide, but I'll never buy them since they're too neutral for my liking. The bass has zero punch. I do appreciate the reason for neutral headphones, but its not for me.
 
 
The other question I have is regarding headphone amps.
 
What makes a headphone amp better/different from a sound card like the Xonar Essence STX?
 
If this is indeed better, what differentiates a great one from a basic one? And which, if any, would be best for gaming (ie wide soundstage)?
 
Thanks

 

[Inquartata]

I think you can find most, if not all, of those answers in this thread. The first post even compares a lot of the cans you mentioned.

 

[arteck]

Perhaps you can try 880 250 ohm. Much better than 650, in location and clarity.