Just an observation here, but????????

Orpheus 10

My ex wife work at Teac in 1975.  Lots of my friends had reel to reel tape decks.  Straight vinyl always sounded more real than vinyl to tape.  Now master tape before vinyl could be a whole other game.  Good news about her working at teac was I got Acuphase and Micro Seiko below dealer cost.

If your vinyl system is dailed in having the tape mellow it out is not a good thing.

Enjoy the ride 
Tom

Get a good wall mount rack, and you can handle either with little trouble.

Tom, you have left out too many specifics and specifications for your post to be valid.

How many reels did you own? I have owned Akai, Teac, Technics, and Otari.

The reel does not compete with the turntable, it is used to make vinyl more enjoyable with less work.

The best 1/4 track reels will duplicate your turntable precisely enabling you to listen to your records without the hassle, and danger to your precious record of being handled. Quarter track decks use half as much tape as half track decks, and deliver less quality.

When speaking of record and playback, 7 1/2 IPS is my preferred speed for home recording, 15 IPS is reserved for live or professional recording.

The size of the tape head makes the most significant difference in the quality of sound, which is why a cassette does not sound as good as a reel, and 1/4 track won't sound as good as 1/2 track, other things being equal.

The reason the playback sounds better on 1/2 track is because of the size of the tape head; what you have recorded will be magnified, made larger.


    https://www.google.com/search?q=difference+between+1/4+tape+head+and+1/2+tape+head&tbm=isch&...