i completely get preferring analog media, so if it’s about the sound characteristics (that ‘warmth’), having physical media, etc fair enough. but if the goal of an audiophile is to get the highest quality reproduction of a recording wouldn’t CDs or FLACs be your best bet?
maybe this only really applies for newer music, perhaps digital releases for music recorded analogue are just digitized vinyl or reel to reel recordings but for music produced in DAWs the highest quality version available for that release would surely be either a CD or a digital FLAC release
It’s nice to get some of that warmth from Vinyls, which can often be what people like to listen to over and above the highest quality versions of said tracks. I’ve come across many audiophiles that would argue Vinyl captures the nuances of recordings more faithfully, hence the a warmer and more natural sound. On the other hand I’ve come across many audiophiles that argue higher quality versions of the songs produce better, clearer results.
Personally I think it can depend on where & when people generally listen to music. I love the process of getting a record out, setting up the player and siting down to have a listen. It think it can feel like a therapeutic process that somehow makes you actively listen to the music more closely, rather than doing other things whilst listening…