Classical music listening... what is a better source High Rez or Vinyl?

My take, based on MY priorities, of course.

For me, there is a fundamental difference in the sound of digital vs the sound of analog and this difference can be heard, to one degree or another, no matter how expensive or close to SOTA your equipment is. Before anyone goes off the deep end, please understand that I am in no way saying that streaming cannot sound good. It most definitely can, but the sound will always have some degree of a certain character that can be attributed to the process of digitization. Analog recordings and playback may have some of this character as well depending on whether there any digitization was employed in the mastering process. Streaming is a digital process, so some degree of that character will be there even with pure analog recordings. A pure analog recording played back on LP will not have digital artifacts; it will have other artifacts, but that is another story. Why is this important to your question?

IMO, the less processing or amplification that the sound of musical instruments is put through, the more that any digital artifacts added along the way will be audible. Acoustic instruments are, by definition, not amplified nor their sounds processed. What music uses acoustic instruments just about exclusively? Classical music.

The issue then becomes familiarity with the sound of live acoustic instruments. The more one is familiar with the sound of live acoustic instruments, the more sensitive one may be to the effects of digitization. Whether those effects or artifacts are more egregious to a given listener than LP surface noise or lack of absolute pitch stability is a personal call and dependent, in part, on the quality of your analog setup.

For me, a well set up turntable/arm/cart of good (not necessarily great) quality playing a decent pressing of an analog recording (and some digital recordings) will beat any streaming that I have heard, hands down. This, based on MY priorities of fidelity to the timbre/texture of acoustic instruments, natural acoustic warmth and very subtle dynamic nuance. It will sound closer to the sound of live acoustic instruments enough to obviate any possible advantages of streaming. Ever notice how different good analog recordings on LP tend to sound due to the different recording venues? Those differences are a really good thing in my book, and they often get homogenized to some degree by digitization/streaming.

So, as usual, the short answer is, it depends. For me, it’s a no brainer.

As phrased, this is kind of a non-sensical question. What matters is the quality of the front end components on both sides of the issue.

To create a more specific comparison, I believe a well chosen $5000 digital front end can now clearly outperform a well chosen $10,000 analog front end. This can be shown easily even using well chosen 44/16 files from analog sources available also as vinyl.

Give it a rest. 
Get off my lawn.
Meh.

It IS an idiotic question.  What sounds best to one has little bearing on what sounds best to others.  The goal is musical enjoyment, not grade school uniforms.

I listen to a lot of classical. My classical LP albums are primarily/mostly ‘vintage’ (pre 80’s), albeit I have some newer LP’s as well, but very few. I also have many classical CD’s, many of those of ‘vintage’ performances as well. Some of my CD’s sound pretty good too. In that regards, no matter what format, it really comes down to the quality of the recording and engineering, and I find that incredibly important with classical (especially) regardless of the source.

But

I almost always play vinyl. To me it just sounds more organic, natural, proper timber, etc. there is a natural ‘flow’ of the music vinyl provides that is hard to beat, and when we are talking about classical, with acoustic instruments, that just sounds better and correct. To me.

Now, to compare digital to vinyl is very dependent on your rig, both vinyl and digital. There is little doubt that if you invest in a better vinyl system, the nuances that only vinyl can offer will be better realized, no matter the genre. Does that mean you have to spend a fortune? No, not in my opinion. But there are some improvements you receive by spending more. There is no way around it.

I just purchased Hilary Hahn’s new ‘Paris’ LP. I didn’t even consider the CD version. That LP is stunning in its recording, engineering, and the performance too. There is no doubt newer recordings can sound quite good, again, regardless of the source. But that new album on vinyl is amazing, to me.

There is no ‘right or wrong’ answer here. Just what you prefer and get the most enjoyment from. I know what I prefer, and quite honestly wish all my classical selections were on vinyl.

Is the "Paris" LP an all analog recording?