OP,
I have always considered the component first... what does it sound like, how will it fit in my audio chain. I would have purchased wax cylinders and networked organic amplifiers if they sounded better. I couldn’t care less about the technology. But, over fifty years I have more and more chosen tube equipment for the sound quality in the price category... and at this point I am in the $20K per component category. I could buy anything I wanted in that price category and I chose tube... not for the technology, but for the sound.
As far as vinyl. Same deal, I have always focused on the best sound source. It has always been vinyl. Still is, in the same price bracket. Finally after 30 years of digital, it can be similarly satisfying (although not quite as detailed) but I have over $10K extra invested in my digital end to get there ($46K digital vs $36K analog end).
I am pretty sure 90% of the people posting are primarily driven by best sound... and then secondary thinking the technology they chose was responsible for it (rightly or wrongly). Understanding the relationship of sound quality and the system that produced it is very difficult, it requires tremendous analytical ability, skill, and common sense. The people posting here are generally well meaning, however, at least half them have no idea what is going on, simply that they like their system and recommend what they bought. I have spent thousands of hours in pursuit of assembling a truly great system. Wonderful pursuit.,