As to Reel-To-Reel, yes, if I were making the tape myself, I would agree. I have a portable studio deck that will go 15 ips. Very, very high recording quality. It also uses tubes. But then there is tape hiss, and you either live with that or dbx compand that down. ITMT, commercially, reel to reel was a flop, sales were the lowest of any format including 8-track, cassette, LP, etc.; go out and try to find commercial RTR recordings! Look for a person with a large collection. I have a few old commercial RTR tapes and they were not that good. They were mass-produced at a high speed to lower cost and I have never found one of them that came close to what the LP can do, but since most people have never heard what the LP really has on it, it is hard for them to understand. Plus, tape stretches, breaks, and the binder goes bad and flakes, then you have drop-out. I have LP's going back to the 1960's that look, sound and play like brand new.
Also, there are the higher-quality LP's--- some are half-speed mastered and the better of these are phenomenal. 180 gram pressings. I have LP's that are cut so deep, so dynamic, they are recorded on one side only. Others are recorded at 45 RPM instead of 33.3. They are out there.
Then there are other technologies: non-magnetic pickups eliminating hysteresis, phono-preamps that do not need RIAA equalization, tonearms that can track at a fraction of a gram, class-A circuit design. While tape recording comes earlier in the process, as a PRODUCT, the LP on average is far more available, accessible and potentially better and more durable than magnetic tape.
If you want your gear to get out of the way, some tips: Avoid the multi-channel home theater stuff. What? Yes, that is all they are selling / pushing these days. The original live performance didn't have it, they only had a L and a R channel. Old tube gear from the 60's and the 70's. Tubes are far superior above 120-150 cycles. Keep the transistors for the deep bass. Caveat: tube gear is higher operating cost and maintenance--- better start learning some basic electronics to maintain it.
Specs don't mean much. I've heard phenomenal sound very lifelike with 10% harmonic distortion. Great sound doesn't come easy, it isn't convenient. Today's consumer isn't getting music, they are getting a little box, portability, instant access and fair sound. Reproducing lifelike sound in the home is a major commitment, it all depends on how much that music means to you. My guess is that a lot of people are losing interest in music--- digital fatigue, aging record collections, uninspiring gear, lack of good bands with new sounds like in the 60's and '70's--- but if you heard an LP properly reproduced, you would love it!
As to the high-end: $8000 speaker cables, doodads, special clamps, weights, shelving, $150 power outlets and power cords--- the pro sound industry uses none of this stuff and the sound you are trying to recapture is theirs. Save your money and invest it in hardware that actually gives you a meaningful improvement. One thing I've found in the high end that works (because it was developed by NASA) are those sorbothane pucks for sound isolation. Good for under the turntable to prevent feedback.
Regards.
