What makes tape sound better than vinyl ?

Tostadosunidos, to begin to answer your question, I had to turn on the reel and relax in the 'sweet spot' with music emanating from that source.

First question, "Is it vinyl, or CD"? I can only tell by remembering when I recorded it. If I don't have the record, it must be CD.

CD's are generated from the computer to line in on the reel. Records are recorded the old fashioned way. Years ago when audiophile PC was a hot topic, I replaced cards in my computer with audiophile cards per the PC forum here and Stereophile.

Right now I'm listening to Jimmy Smith "Angel Eyes", the CD from the reel.



1 Stolen Moments 7:00
2 You Better Go Now 5:15
3 Angel Eyes 8:00
4 Bess, Oh Where's My Bess 4:10
5 Slow Freight 5:47
6 Tenderly 6:25
7 Days Of Wine And Roses 7:00
8 L'il Darlin' 6:57
9 What A Wonderful World 4:25



Bass – Christian McBride
Drums – Gregory Hutchinson
Executive-Producer – Lola Smith
Guitar – Mark Whitfield
Organ – Jimmy Smith
Producer – Don Sickler, Richard Seidel
Trumpet – Nicholas Payton
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Roy Hargrove


When I focus on the center channel, Jimmy Smith is in the house with that loud and very wide dynamic frequency range like no other organ. (When you record from CD to two track, you have actually expanded what was on the CD without distorting it; same music, just bigger with a wider dynamic range, plus you have also lost any "digitalis".)   Jet black background as well, no tape noise on a good deck.

What I'm hearing  can not be measured, it is the emotional aspect of the music; I've gone beyond what reviewers talk about when describing components, frequency response etc. but into the story line of the song.

Now that I'm into "Angel Eyes", no longer am I in this listening room, but in one of the bistros in a time long past, sitting on the same bar stool, where I sat contemplating one of the "Angel Eyes" I've known.

      
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihZHR63UmNI


When you got the right rig, music can take you wherever you want to go.

As to your original question, it's impossible to get better than live, you have gone past the limits of logic.

And if it was possible would we want it ?
Ralph, I see. Not that I was thinking of 1/2" machine, the cost would be prohibitive, and yeah few titles.

If you are saying that transferring cd's or vinyl to tapes sounds better then you are saying that the transfer is not an accurate transfer and that the distortion that the tape is adding is one that pleases you. There is nothing wrong with that but you do have to admit that you just introduced a uphonic distortion. 

Now if you are saying that a live mic feed is more accurately captured on tape, rather than vinyl or digital then you are saying that tape is a more honest format for capturing truth. IMO, tape using Dolby S is right up there with the best.

However, most here are reporting on the former not the later. I doubt that tape is correcting for the flaws in vinyl or digital and, in that case, it is the processing distortion you are enjoying. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

While recording from anything to tape some coloration is inevitably added but it's not the whole story and it's not necessarilly what is found pleasing. Tape recorder 'rearranges' the elements of the incoming signal and lays them down to tape. This rearranged source might in some respects give better soundscape. Something like that, in its own way, might also happen when you record digital from digital. In other words, processing may yield better results.
Do you know what some crazy Japanese do? They have 100 volts wall current over there. They take it up to 230 volts with one step up transformer and then take it back down to 100 volts with another and claim that it sounds better. This is just an analogy and an example of a rather primitive current processing. Things are not that simple.

I'll stick with what I stated. Your's is more than a bit murky.  But, hey, it's your pleasure not mine and in the end that's what matters. Enjoy!