WHat did Audiophiles hear during Tape deck era?

I had a Nak Dragon until about 7 years ago. One of its claim to fame was that is would automatically align the tape heads to any cassette made from any machine so it would play as well as the machine it was made on on. No comparison to LPs, still had tape hiss. 

Uh, tape hiss disappeared with Dolby tapes which was about a bazillion years ago. It’s easier to hear tape his on LPs. Wake up and smell the coffee ☕️

Dolby C decreased tape hiss a great deal but still audible. 

Could you possibly be more picky? Tape hiss is more audible on LPs. Give me a break. This is not the princess and the pea.

The OP asked what was heard, not smelled, like the coffee. Can’t you be more intellectual.. others have complained about your arrogance, as a new comer, I can see why. OP asked about tape, not LP, HELLO. I won’t reply any further to individuals that can’t read. As you can tell, you just made another friend and I understand you have plethoras of them.