I think modern AL bikes are a great value, and they don't ride as harsh as they use to. You can get AL bikes that will weigh as much as CF for half the cost of a CF bike, so if you want a really nice bike and not pay out the nose, or if your racing in a bracket that doesn't have sponsors throwing bikes at you then AL bike is really the only way to go unless you have very deep pockets and don't care about crashing and buying a new expensive CF frame, and in the lower brackets of racing crashing is highly possible, so you would want a frame that is cheap to replace.
I am not a TI snob, I own one but there is a back story to why. I've had nothing but steel bikes for over 40 years, so when I decided to shop for another bike I checked out more than a dozen bikes, mostly CF, a couple of aluminum bikes, and a couple of TI bikes that a couple of friends had, a Motobecane and a Serotta. As I rode those bikes I actually was surprised but I really liked the TI bikes, they had a slightly better ride then the steel bikes which my steel bike felt better than CF or AL jobs I rode; so I ended up with a 2013 Lynskey Peloton that I never test rode, but come to find out I didn't have too, it rode that well. Of course all that I said above is subjective of course, but it does seem that most people that try a TI bike fall in love with them, and it doesn't have to be the most expensive TI bike either. The one friend who has the Motobecane is the least expensive TI on the market, and it rode just fine, as did the more expensive Serotta, there were subtle differences, the Serotta had a very smooth ride but it had S shaped rear stays which probably played a major part in the ride, but the Moto while a bit less smooth was still better than my steel bikes. The Lynskey that I got had a just a tad firmer ride but felt more surefooted than either of the others, what we later determined was the Enve 2.0 fork was more rigid and made the bike handle like on rails. My friend with the Moto decide early this year to go with the Enve 2.0 fork and it did improve the way the bike feels while maneuvering.
Anyways, like I said, how a frame material feels, combined with geometry, is all subjective. After being on the TI bike for 7 years I wanted a TI touring bike but I couldn't see spending that kind of money to tour on, and the TI touring bikes cost more than what I paid for mine, so I instead went with steel. But the steel touring bike is comfortable due to longer stays, longer wheelbase and fatter tires floating on lower PSI then my road bike.
Sad news, my friend with the Serotta passed away this last week from cancer, he was 63, very dedicated cyclist. Geez, this is the 5th friend that died in the last 3 months, they're dropping like flies around me, and none from C19.