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
ahh the good old days all of these soft arguments are replaying in my head from 30 years ago. the reality is music is an experience. it depends on what moves you. it has nothing to do with the linn church or a limited noise floor if it doesn’t matter to you. I begrudgingly left vinyl 30 years ago because the entire classical catalogue was moving to cd-and it was sonically better-not subjectively to everyone-but sonically purer and truer to life. not everyone liked this because the “warmth” of the analog deficiencies pleased some people. but let’s be clear and understand that last sentence is the crux of this discussion and has been since the 80’s. i’m back into vinyl now not because it’s better…… but because the experience is different and enjoyable in its own right.