Lumin U1 vs Lumin U1 mini + sbooster?

I went in a different direction. I got the U1 mini + Keces p8  (with ghent dc cable) going into  a Audio GD DI20HE then I2S out into my DAC. This chain is simply incredible. Absolutely beats my old SOTM 200 ultra + sps 500 + dx usb setup. And doing the u1 mini + P8 or DI20HE alone was not as good as the combo. Oh and I am using coax out of the u1 mini.
Now I have not compared to full size u1 but others who have tried the di20he + streamer (even something like pi) have found it to be better than dcs bridge. This is something really worth trying and ultimately cheaper and possibly better than full size u1.

others who have tried the di20he + streamer (even something like pi) have found it to be better than dcs bridge

Was having an i2s input on their dac a prerequisite or does the di20he have the same goodness via its spdif output? I ask because my streamer already has an i2s output but my dac has rca coax, optical & usb inputs only.

I got good results with AES out of the DI20HE also. But I2s just took it further. Im also only using a basic 8k shielded amazon HDMI cable. Still waiting for a better wireworld chroma cable.
But you'll definitely feel most of the benefit with AES.

This is a great tip to bring the U1 Mini performance up a notch. It’s awesome to read that the DI20HE reclocker is getting the job done with satisfying results. I’m one of those guys who believes that less is more for linearity and less induced overall noise and interference in the signal chain.

The U1 Mini already have a “higher” noise floor than the U1, so I really can’t see how the DI20HE brings that down, it probably adds its own distortion, which might be a sweet one for the ears, thus giving the sense of improvement. I’m glad that this setup works great in your system at a significantly less cost than the U1. 

I can safely say to just don’t bother with the U1 Mini, if you have the funds just go for the big brother U1. The difference is so noticeable that it’s not even worth comparing them, the U1 is simply better

This is likely true if you take the "stock" U1 Mini and compare it to the standard U1.

That being said, I took a close look.  I think the U1 Mini + Sbooster is probably going to be equal to the standard U1 if you just use them as a digital transport. 

The only thing that the standard U1 has here is a DAC and analog output.  If you don't need this and are still intending to do the Sbooster mod on the U1 MIni, then I would say go for the U1 Mini.  The digital transport section is the same on both.