If you really just want a FLAC rip of a CD to play over a media center, then consider simply downloading the FLAC rip from a filesharing community, but then buying the vinyl release for the sake of owning the physical artifact. That way, you both get high-quality digital audio and you financially support the artist, but the vinyl release has larger artwork and is more satisfying as a collector item.
I buy the music, because I want to support the artists.
I buy the CD-format, because in theory, I can do that anonymously (cash at the store). I don't buy the vinyl, because I explicitly want the digital format (see my reply to another comment on this thread as to why).
I rip the CD, because, well, my phone doesn't have a CD-drive (wow, that would be weird...).
At this point... I'd actually throw away the CD, because I hate having stuff. I don't care about showing off my collection to anyone, nor do I care about collectibles, but having stuff is just... cumbersome. But alas, I don't throw away the CD, somewhat because of sentimentality and also because if you have a physical copy of digital data, that's not a bad thing to keep, just in case, so ok, it stays.
Considering a vinyl is analog and also more cumbersome, I think it's pretty clear why I prefer the CD.
I personally prefer buying FLAC from Bandcamp. It's the most artist-friendly option I'm aware of (and the most environmentally friendly too!). Some of them even include the same artwork in PDF that would be printed for the CD/vinyl edition.
This or direct download, I want the artist to get as much money as possible. The bug companies run off pure breed and don't even give the artist 10% of revenue unless they are in the top 0.0001% who can afford to demand it or walk.
