best phone for audio?

hi guys!

I'm looking at getting a new phone, and one of my ultimate requirements is great audio hardware and high sound quality. I never really thought the built in hardware (DAC, preamp, power management, etc) made a huge difference, but after buying a Samsung express, compared to my S3, the difference is huge. to be fair, the difference is barely noticeable through headphones, but when I plug the express into my car amplifier, home amplifier, or any another for that matter, the signal is quieter then it should be, noisier and has a little less clarity and dynamics, comparatively speaking. I have a feeling there is an impedance miss match or something with the preamp/dac of the express, as it sounds just fine through the low impedance of the headphones.

so I'm looking at the s4 active, because it appears to use the same hardware as the s4, not to mention it's tough, which is great for someone like me, but not that important if there is something with better audio quality out there. the good audio hardware may only be in the standard model for all I know, I'm not sure.

anyone able to show me some pretty phone specs?

thanks heaps!

 

bump?