classical music source

digital for sure, hi-res downloads when possible. The overwhelming majority of classical hires downloads (that I know of) are true hi-res; natively recorded in 24/96 or better PCM, natively recorded in DSD (like the excellent Channel Classics label) or hi-res PCM or DSD transfers from older analog masters. To me, these sound clearly better than CD's (given equivalent recording and mastering quality). I gave up on LP's a few years ago (right about the time many people were discovering or "re-discovering" them).

If one is talking about a kind of shootout for ultimate sound quality, then yes, the very best records that I have do indeed sound better than most, if not all of my digital classical music. But, these extraordinary records are relatively few in number in my collection. Also, a lot of the vinyl reissues of great sounding recordings are of warhorses that I really don't listen to that much. Many of the non-reissued records that sound good are quite difficult to find (e.g., records from the East German label NOVA). From a practical standpoint, aside from audio showcase recordings, digital recordings dominate the universe of decent sounding recordings that can be reasonably procured.

Perhaps where you live makes a difference.
Here in Twin Cities there are MANY places to hunt vinyl and
more classical fans than most American cities. Per-capita probably any American city.
I am happy to buy 10 used records and keep only one or two.

Hi Schuber,

I suppose it largely depends on what kind of records/music one wants to collect and the kind of money one wants to spend. If you are talking about searching for cheap used recordings souced locally, then yes, LPs are the way to go. In almost any city, one can find classical records selling for around $.50 to $1.00. This is a pretty cheap way to build a basic collection. Used CDs can also be found locally in most big cities, but, used CDs sell for a lot more. Of course both can be found on the internet, but, along with shipping cost and the inability to examine the records first, on-line shopping for LPs is not nearly as inexpensive and reliable as local shopping.

But, if one is looking for specific recordings or less common composers and repertoire, and one is willing to spend more, then CD might be the better alternative as far as availability.

As for sound quality, I think both CD and LP sound quality is so highly variable that I would not make any kind of generalization about which will sound better. Particularly when one is considering used records, the sound quality, in terms of noise and possible groove damage, makes it more likely that an average selection will sound not as good as an average used CD (although, as you suggest, LPs are cheap so that one can be happy keeping only a few out of a lot).