ESP32-S3-WROOM-1U Soc, vs modules in the wild.

[viper]

I am working on a light commercial project.  I think I have homed in in the S3, primarily for the audio DSP work I need for now, but also I don't mind building and developing around a flagship that could serve other purposes, or have more power on tap if ever needed. 

With that said, I am still open to other idea, but I have another thread where we went through this.  In this thread, I am mostly focused on the listed Soc vs other modules or Soms that I might want to consider for a really good price?  What I am mostly after is the external omni antenna will be a must anyway as it will be in an enclosure.  Other is the WROOM is just a chip and I'd almost prefer to have it on a very basic board with buttons so it could get programmed, tested, and inserted in a custom PCB as a 'daughter board'. 

I know there are lots of options, but most are geared towards DIY and proto work, and I'd like to find options with good qty discounting or other options.  I could go a totally different direction and consider these installed in a custom PCB and we program them, but my post is my thought at the moment. 

If I was dreaming, I might want a module with header pins, basic switches, and maybe some status LEDs, that's about it.  But I might find adding a socket to another PCB is just too expensive. 

But even for development, I guess I do need to ask for ideas or thoughts on Dev kits for these?  I would have to toss it on a bread board anyway but I just can't keep up with all the options out there. 

Sorry if this thread feel vague.  I'm stirring the witches pot right now.