I was thinking of getting a Benchmark DAC2 HGC and ABH2 Amp for a smallish home audio center.  I would like to add a digital source to this that is separate from my main computer. something with a HDD or SSD. Optical and/or usb2 audio output. as a bonus. being able to control it from an android device would be great.
 
 
Then there is these options:
 
Zotac Bluray Player ID36 PLUS
It has optical and hdmi outputs
(2) USB3, (1)USB2, NIC, WiFi, Headphone out
Install your own OS
 
Zotac PI320 and PI321
same size as a FIIO x5 from the looks of it.
Win 8.1 installed
Fanless
There is also a 64gb version(PI321)
usb2 audio out would be an option
 
under $200 with win8.1 installed on it already!
 
 
Both look like viable choices for a source component. Both can mount to the back of a vesa compat tv/monitor.
 
 
 
Any thoughts?

Is there a problem with how I asked this question? I cannot believe no one has a recommendation for a good full home audio component to act as a DAP in the system.

I'd buy an Oppo105, well, I actually did, but you seem to be leaning in a different direction. Good luck.

audiodog said:

  Both look like viable choices for a source component. Both can mount to the back of a vesa compat tv/monitor.
 
Any thoughts?

Click to expand...

 
See if there's any way you can set up a Windows tablet to use as a touchscreen remote with those miniPCs set up as a headless server. There are Android apps that can do the same too but they aren't as smooth as with an Android miniPC set-up as a headless server. Alternately, you could just get an Android miniPC instead for around $100 if you already have an Android device, although the thing with Windows is that in case you need high res playback then specialized USB audio drivers will work. With Android, I think you'd have to stick with USB Audio Player Pro.
 
Or you could just save up and get  a dedicated audio servers that also have WiFi (for access to your NAS and also Android/iOS device remote control). I think the cheapest ones with such feature are the Aune S1 at $600, while there's the Cocktail Audio X10 for a around $400 (depending on the dealer, the price and freebies may vary - over here it's around $600 with the $100 WiFi dongle, a 2TB drive already installed and set-up, plus a pair of Castle speakers that can run off the built-in speaker amp).

at this point I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with the ID36. On that, I can install linux(OpenELEC), a distro made for media centers with XBMC, and remote control that from my phone or tablet from anywhere. Using USB audio output to a DAC/AMP, the source component won't matter to the audio quality.