78 RPM - Potential for better sound than digital?

Ha! So, I'll take your response as one vote for "really bad idea". Not my first bad idea. Ok. Thanks!

I am referring to the same material, the music from the 30's primarily, but 40's and early 50's as well. Love the music, hate the sound quality. I just want to get close to the best that can be obtained on this material, understanding that I will never get audiophile sound.

As a side note, I think modern digital can be very good. However, although I am very happy with my Wavelength Brick, the VPI often beats it, assuming I have a good LP.

On some of this old material, I think the CDs are recorded from 78s, based on the noise that I hear in some of the recordings. So, just going directly to the 78 would be get me closer to the source. But I guess going with 78s would only worthwhile if it can make a substantive improvement over digital.

Your comments are very helpful. Acusounds comment makes this venture sound intriguing. I appreciate Mags5000's comment about the expense of getting clean copies. I would probably just take an opportunistic approach, picking up 78s I can acquire affordably, passing on the rest. Rather than asking if digital is better, I should have asked if one can, on many occassions, get better than digital sound out of a 78 for a given recording. I'm not sure I follow Mothra's comment about systems geared for the sound, but I think Graham Slee has some intriguing products that at least address equalization issues. Thanks! Mark