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
I listen to vinyl because I listen to music that was period correct for vinyl. So basically 1982 and back. I do have CDs, but prefer the records. Listening to The Doors, Led Zeppelin, etc. I like the music to come from the source that was available: LP, cassette, 8 track (ugh), and reel to reel (very tough to buy, and tapes are brittle from that time). I’ll record vinyl to reel…
Call me strange, but I prefer it to digital.