If absolute accuracy was the goal, then this would be a simple engineering exercise. Users would go to Consumers Reports for the "best buy" based on SINAD and price. No reviewers, forums or print. A lot of people may find that to be their preference. They want to skip the audiophile game and just listen to music.
I want to find what cues fool my biased lying brain to make me believe it is musical so I listen to the music, not the playback system.
If you want perfect, then a Benchmark stack ( for the rich) or a Topping stack (for mere mortals) would do for the electronics. All speakers are terrible so that is tougher. There would be no tube equipment left. No R2R DACs. No snake oil.
So others subjective views along with objective measures can narrow our search. Not for sound perfection, but for hearing perfection. Sound is real. Hearing is our opinion and our opinions differ. Audiophile is finding what sounds right to you. Mostly with the goal to listen to the music. Audiofool is belief things that are not real but expensive leads to perfection because they can pay for it. Often for bragging rights. Funny. I was in a store and noticed a Macintosh turn table. I have never known them for tables. Salesman admitted, they only sell them to people who want to claim they have one and never use it. Audiofools. It may be a great table and some may use them. Don't have a clue as I gave up vinyl as I prefer to play music rather than play with music.
Modern processed recordings may be more "perfect" but they lose some musicality. Pitch-box, 2 bar splice together, compressed, and processed may be technically better, but I prefer the human musicality of the entire performance. It makes a difference when the band is actually playing together taking cues from each other. Even a lot of "live performances" are spliced together and processed. . I liked the old direct to disk where they did the full side, the whole band, mixer to lathe. Flawed but musical. Harry James could really "swing" I don't miss the WOW and flutter, tape his, crosstalk and next groove bleed of vinyl. Perfection or music. Take your pick. Your choice.