Thanks guys for the input! I have a much better understanding of both units, and the value of the sonicTransporter. With a NUC, I am committing myself to Roon, whereas the sonicTransporter gives me more options. Also, if I upgrade to an i5 (and/or additional RAM) and purchase an Akasa case, I am getting close to the point where I may as well purchase a sonicTransporter…
However, the satisfaction of building my own is appealing, and I am pretty confident that I can do it. (Years ago, I took apart and reassembled my iMac, in order to send the board away for replacement capacitors.) Getting it up and running is what gives me pause, because I don’t have the knowledge in order to figure things out—Updating Bios makes me a bit nervous…
Whatever unit I purchase would be in a remote room, so I am not concerned about fan noise. I do have an equipment rack in this room–After looking at the Akasa site, I am intrigued with the slim case that could be rack mounted, at a later date…