What makes tape sound better than vinyl ?

I am not familiar with them but CR4A and CR5A should be okay for playback. I think, they were made in Taiwan not Japan, and they will not have classic warm Nakamichi sound.
Tandberg 440A is good, should be around $500, I am not sure about its reliability, though.
Recording directly from phono or cd player is a way to go. Good interconnects make a difference.

These are the best cassette decks available on ebay.


              http://www.ebay.com/gds/Top-10-Cassette-Decks-/10000000204927180/g.html


              http://www.ebay.com/gds/Revox-Nakamichi-and-Tandberg-the-Pros-and-Cons-/10000000001829134/g.html


Revox B215 was unmatched in smooth frequency response, vanishingly low hiss levels and overall clarity of sound.


There it is, take your choice.

@orpheus10

Excellent information, thank you.
The top ten list actually contains a model I owned back in the day. #7. The Aiwa.
Must research the revox b215...

@Inna

I think the 3a,4a and 5a were made in Malaysia? Not Japan agreed, not sure just how much that will affect the sound

Some information is correct while some is misleading or plain wrong.
The very best Nakamichi deck is 1000ZXL, Limited and regular. The very best Tandberg, aside from pro models, is 3014A and 3014 is close. Revox cannot compete at this level. Studer is better, uses top Sony heads, but cassette Studer is not reel Studer.

Revox B710 and B215 should be good for your purpose, but they are expensive as well.