What makes tape sound better than vinyl ?

I have to take issue and disagree with your basic premise. Tape doesn't sound "better" than vinyl it sounds different, you may prefer those differences but it doesn't actually make it better it's just a matter of preferences after all there are people who like the sound of Bose speakers , and that doesn't mean they sound better. Just saying.

I would not say that is true and it definitely depends on the units and setup. So, no I would not say that is definitively true. Both can be excellent, both can be ordinary, both can be bad, and both can be a pain to setup.

Well, if you wish to open the thread up to comparisons, why not compare cassettes to CDs? That is the most ironic comparison of them all. You know, why an apparently low tech medium, a medium that was dumped twenty years ago, a medium they don’t even make anymore, sounds more musical than CDs. Why cassettes sound more DYNAMIC and ENTERTAINING than CDs. Why cassettes can be appreciated on systems the entire cost of which is - for all practical purposes - ZERO. Hel-loo!

These forums will be the death of my wallet for sure
Now you have me looking on eBay at tape decks, thanks INNA! lol.
Tbh I am not too surprised by the majority opinions and findings
My 85 year old mother still uses her Grundig reel deck which is at least 50 years old! I remember when she was using my old JVC table, Trio amp and Akai cassette deck so she could transfer cassettes and vinyl onto her reels and still listens to them to this day!
I think she likes to watch the reels go round.....
She is also still using the Trio, JVC and the Akai and they are 39 to 40 years old too.

Last time I was there when she was playing some Tony Bennet if I remember, even though not my cup of tea at all, I do remember it sounding pretty darn good and very life like.

So easy to spend my hard earned cash nowadays, just browse eBay, read up a bit and push a few buttons on the keyboard and another toy could be winging its way towards me. Doh......

You are welcome. If one day you do decide to get an open reel deck or a cassette player don’t do it before consulting with the Audiogon membership. There are very knowledgeable people here who use or used to use them. Tapeheads.com can be helpful too. If you keep looking at the decks on ebay, look at Studer, Otari, Technics. Also, Revox, Tascam, Teak, Sony pro. I could get some Otari or Revox right away, but I will wait. This should be a serious project for me so I would want to have extra funds for service, reels, maybe new cables. I spend about $100 per month on audio, not including records, and can tell that it is not very little if you don't make significant mistakes.