Best REEL TO REEL blank tape?

Great comments - all. My interest in buying R2R is a romantic one. And romance makes no sense. One of my first "higher end" audio experiences was listening to Supertramp's CRIME OF THE CENTURY on an open reel deck (Teac) turning at 15 ips. The music was SO MUCH MORE INVOLVING than listening to the LP or the cassette. I get bored just sitting and listening to a SACD/CD today. Vinyl is a bit more involving but I just love watching those 10" reels turn. EVERYTHING posted so far makes sense to me. But why we love what we love (passion) comes from within and to try and figure it out logically will only cause frustration and conflict. I figure, audio is my hobby. I want to have fun with it. Thank you ALL for your input. Audiogon is a great place.

Dramapsycho, you are a man after my own heart. Reel to reel is superior to everything. With my 2 track Technics, the speakers even get bigger.

Once you record that vinyl, it will sound better on playback than it did when you recorded it. Find "Reel to reel" on the analog forum; there were some fantastic discussions which will be highly beneficial. When you are sitting in the sweet spot watching those 10" reels turn and enjoying that liquid sound of R to R, think of Orpheus doing likewise.

Some records are very valuable and either virtually irreplaceable or/and very expensive to replace.
Also, I rarely listen to the entire side of a record, I may listen to a track or two so compilations make sense to me.
40 open reel decks, oh man. I would probably have five or so if I could, say, Studer, Nagra, Ampex, Otari, Technics.

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I completely understand the fun of playing around with it and watching the reels spin. I had a pretty nice Teac deck at one time and enjoyed fiddling around with it but sold it when the price of blank tapes got so expensive and I realized I would never have many tapes. But the idea that putting something on tape and playing it back makes it sound better is completely foreign to me. Sounds different of course since you will be applying EQ with transistor circuits and playing back through more transistor circuits, but since all you can do in the process is lose information and add distortion I'm not buying into it sounds better unless the distortion it introduces is pleasing to your ear. It might be and the fun factor is there so I say go for it if you want to hassle with it.

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Herman my friend, go to reel to reel on this forum and be enlightened. All things are foreign until you have experienced them.