New pressings wouldn't have the scratches, etc. I can understand the theory behind it ... it's true analog. Meaning it was never digitized, compressed, de-compressed and converted back to analog so your ears can hear it. Better compression formats have built-in error checking, and the chances of data getting lost on a CD vs. broadcasting is minimal. But data does degrade over time.
Meh, I'll be honest and say I can't really tell the difference if the source material is high quality ... I couldn't tell you if it was the original CD playing, a 320 MP3 or 24 bit FLAC
I sort of think it's another way to be an elitist, but to each their own.