Can we finally put Reel to Reel out of its misery? Put it to rest people.

8 track for me is a non-starter just because program material is often interrupted. And when I did have an 8 track player I didn't think it sounded that good...

...and then there is the fact that tape press-back mechanism inside the tapes can be a problem. Either a piece of metal with felt on it or the worst is the foam-based resistance provider. The foam just turns to tar eventually...

Cassettes are fine. I grew up with them. They sound alrightish. I remember realizing as a kid that tapes made from vinyl always sounded better than tapes made from CD.

Really Larry?
Your post is as inane as the original OP.
Can you expound on why, in your opinion of course, cassette should be " put out of its misery"?

I never realized it was in pain and suffering tbh but hey I am all ears ( sic).

I’m generalizing but - at least for me - cassettes sound rich, natural, dynamic, sweet, have more sparkle and presence compared directly to their CD counterparts, which sound thin, compressed, synthetic, bland and uninteresting. Cassettes are portable, too! Is the world deaf?

I am not saying that anything should go away.  I am merely pointing out that the OP has NOT made the case for putting R2R "out of its misery" and that if there is any logic at all to his argument, it cuts against cassettes because they do not excel in either convenience or sound quality while R2R DOES excel at sound quality.

I don't currently maintain either tape formats, but, I certainly don't want either to go away.  I think it is great that people are happy with whatever they are happy with, I know some people still love 8-track; to each, his own.  I like, and use gear that is truly ancient--tubes that are 60 years old, and a midrange compression driver that is 80 years old.  

Sony Elcaset? Far more obsolete than RtR!
"The system was technically excellent, but a total failure in the marketplace.."
"No pre-recorded Elcaset tapes were produced and the machines were withdrawn from the market after only a few years.
When Sony pulled the Elcaset from the market in 1980, the remaining equipment was sold off in Finland for bargain prices."
https://obsoletemedia.org/elcaset/