Analog or Digital and why?

Admittedly, I am far behind in digital technology.  I am barely aware of music servers--just what are they doing for their cost?  

Still photography has made an accepted transition to digital. Movies still shot on film are not shown on film. Seems the visual cortex can accommodate a digital representation of an analog recording, not to mention a direct digital record from an image sensor.  Is our sense of hearing that much more demanding?  

Since Mike Lavigne has dedicated so much in developing tape, vinyl and digital in his system, his preference for analog over digital carries authority.
One question for Mike, though--in putting in your MSB Select, clock and streamer, did you previously have a CD transport and components to support that approach?
The CD vs streaming has oft been discussed, but have we missed the importance of the CD as reference? The cost does go up, though, to put the CD back into digital, funny as it sounds. I can imagine a lot of young folks have gone straight from MP-3 and ITunes to the sound of vinyl without ever having owned a CD.  DVDs are rather passé, too.  

Just that Mike has invested to reach the full potential of both mediums, and for him, analog is the ultimate sound reproduction. Not sure why you would argue that result, but your question raises an interesting exercise.

Suppose you, meaning everyone, have everything in your system the way you want it--amps, preamp, stands, power, cables, speakers, subs, the room. But, you need a source, a front end---don’t have one at all, have to start fresh, don’t even have albums or CDs. Let’s say you have an amount worthy of your system to spend--say $35K to allow for various levels of gear, but you have to buy everything that is needed to play music, minus the albums, CDs, streamers, etc. You have a separate allowance for music, let’s say. Would you go with vinyl or digital?