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 all about mastering. A poorly mastered record won’t sound better than a well mastered digital stream. However, a well mastered record tends to sound better than its digital equivalent. I think vinyl just has a fuller and more lively playback. People talk about the warmth, but for me it is about the instrument separation.