Dolby Surround Headphones vs Audiophile grade Cans?

one thing you must realize is that the vast majority of all so called "gaming headsets" ARE stereo headphones running virtual surround. only a few of them have multiple drivers and plugs which can call themselves true surround sound (and even that is not like TRUE speaker surround sound exactly). also keep in mind that larger drivers on stereo sets offer greater quality typically than cheaper multi-driver drivers.

the vengeance 2100 is VIRTUAL surround. it says so right on the spec page. basically it is a cheaper pair of stereo headphones with a low-end integrated soundcard inside the headset providing virtual surround sound capability.

the hd598 for the price is an excellent choice for people wanting a wider soundstage, improvement on sound quality and with a small bit of bass (though not a whole lot).

to get virtual surround on the hd598 you would need one of 3 things: your integrated audio on your motherboard would need to support it, a soundcard which supports it or the free razer software which works for it. since a soundcard is better than integrated anyways and since they respond well to amping a soundcard would be a great option (xonar dx or creative z suggested.... though a xonar dg is the cheapest i'd go) if you wanted to improve both quality, amping and have virtual as an option.

the only way i'd recommend something different than the hd598 is if you wanted a bass-less sound or if you wanted a bass-heavy sound in which case there are other better options. the 598 covers the midground fairly well.