I have a turntable to play my old vinyl, so I get your point. But any new music I buy is digital, and it has been since 1984.
I have just read another thread here which descended into a discussion about the holes in the centres of LP’s not being in the centre. It seems the “software” for record decks is as bad as ever.
Never had an issue with bad vinyl, never had to return one, been buying vinyl from the late 70’s through to 2025, all good.
I’ll take two rounds, two flats and a packet of gravel thanks. 
I believe this photography simile is inaccurate to many who are professional photographers.
It may permit the average user to appear better than they are-but then it’s just about the tool, not the user
To be fair there are pictures you can take today with modern mirrorless digital cameras that couldn’t be taken on film SLRs. I’ve been shooting action for over 30 years.
And tbf you can pop it thru AI or retouch on photoshop and it will be even ‘better’
And it’s this why (I think) analogue (in its many facets) is attractive-the engagement, the human input or connectivity.
why some people like to make a coffee (grind beans, coffee machine, froth milk) rather than a pod.
Sometimes the journey is as important as the destination.
Honest answer @MikeD the highest end SQ from vinyl for those that choose. It was confirmed to me a while back when I heard a Vertere RG TT through Statement amps into Magicos, truly mind blowingly brilliant.
A journey. That’s so 2010s.
Everything’s now available from the comfort of your favorite armchair.
Everybody knows that nothing takes you closer to reality than a super saturated high contrast digitally enhanced 4k screen with Atmos Augmented Reality Surround Sound Advanced Quantum Engine. 
I admit it. Everything at my fingertips, immediately is just not for me.
I do a lot of architectural photography with shift lenses, in dark old Italian monuments. With HDR I can avoid burnt out window highlights and all sorts of other problems. I used to do this with 5x4, but film costs were horrific. With digital I can explore as many angles as I wish, as “film” is free. I do not miss all those hours spent in a dark, damp and smelly darkroom, printing. I work slowly and deliberately with a tripod as before.
Unless the user is a tool…
An argument that could possibly be made of all esoteric hi-fi, at what point does your subconscious convince your ears (and brain) that listening to equipment that costs 10’s if not 100’s of thousands of £/$/€ is better than a more modest system. Is it a case of the “Emperors New Clothes” to say that the sound from a turntable set-up costing £1000 is indistinguishable from one costing 100 times as much.
At the end of the day, it’s also deciding what’s more important…..the music or the equipment.
Add to that, at what point is your hearing diminished by age and did that happen before or after your spending power increased to the point you could spend that money on hifi?
Ever notice how most audiophiles insist they are a medical aberration and that despite being 65 they have the hearing of baby and therefore they need a $500K system?
A philosophical joke 
Nobody denies the superiority of Naim Statements vs the inferior range.
But when it’s outside Naim, be it cables, switches, racks, streamers or amps, the bunch of skepticism is coming.
Hifi is no different to cars or many other hobbies. Why do some people want to drive a Lotus Emira while others are content with a Corolla? We all have different targets in the sound we are trying to achieve and different budgets for that matter too.
Turntables are of course one of those components that differ most significantly in their presentation, which is why I have been on a mission to review a good number of the best ones over the past year or two. It’s been a fantastic experience…
Yes, there are many differences between decks like the LP12 and the decks that major on vibration control and offer superlative engineering like a top flight SME. The LP12 is a wonderfully enjoyable table to play records on, but I don’t think its designers ever sought to achieve absolute neutrality the way that for example SME, Michell Engineering or Avid are pursuing. The things that strike me most about the heavily engineered SME Model 35 that I have on review here right now is its prodiguous bass power/extension/gravitas and the sense of sheer blackness to the backgrounds, so that transient sounds seem to come out of nowhere and have startling jump factor. Allied to that is a sense of impressive neutrality and transparency.
One thing is certain though, once you get above around £10000 for a vinyl front end (above a well equipped Gyro or Rega P10) dinishing returns do start to bite. That doesn’t stop me wanting an SME 35 though and frankly if I won the lottery it would be my dream table! I think the 35 is the most beautiful turntable SME have ever made and sonically it gets impressively close to the Model 60 flagship…
I shot a couple of pics in support of the review to show just how beautiful it is, so here’s a sneak peek! The engineering is deeply impressive…
JonathanG
I agree totally. Why try to isolate more importantly the arm and platter from vibrations, why try to spin the platter at the exact speed with no fluctuations, why build an arm less immune to vibrations and more accurate to let the cartridge read the lp…
It’s a non sense, these guys have lost their minds. A Rega P1 is just enough.
I am a music “snob”, not a format “snob”. I (still) purchase records - usually if I cannot (legitimately) source a decent digital version, and I own records from “back in the day”, from before there was any digital option. A lot of what I like/buy is now released on record only. I’ll purchase the record, then rip it to my HD for “convenience” - I present internet radio shows and digital is very convenient. Budget constraints restrict my options, but I’m happy with my Technics SL-1500C with Ortofon 2M Bronze cartridge. I am happy with what I hear - music, not numbers from a fact sheet.
I (still) purchase CDs, albeit less frequently due to storage restrictions. Again, CDs are often ripped to my HD. My player is a Naim CD5si. Again, I’m happy with what I hear - music, not the quality of the 1s and 0s.
I stream (Tidal through my Naim Uniti Nova) and if I want to play tracks that I hear/like on my shows, I’ll endeavour to source them digitally (Bandcamp and/or Juno Download) - always WAV/FLAC/ALAC - or on record with subsequent ripping to HD.
Sound quality is in the ear of the beholder…..with listening environment (and budget, obviously) playing its part.
