As SkyNet said above - I have a U9-H (HDR compatible) which I got to replace my Odroid C2 (HDR not supported) and did SEE the difference when comparing the two. The Minix also has the best fanless thermal solution in the business so it's hard to go wrong with the U9-H.
I cannot speak for the newer "fancy" models as I have no experience with them but would comment that I had far and away the best experiece with AmLogic chips vs. Intel. These boxes, especially the U9-H coupled with CoreElec, "just work" for both video and surround without need for fussing around with settings/drivers etc.