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

Theres supposedly a Thorens r2r coming out in 2020 but playback only.
 Like whos gonna pay big bucks for an incomplete product? 

Picked up a very gently used Akai GX-635D last year, had a tech go through it top to bottom. It sounds simply glorious, came with several reels of very well made recordings. I don’t think the format is dead, I think popularity will continue to reinvigorate, not only due to vynil, but it also looks cool, and on a slightly weird note - hot oil mixed with tape dust produces fascinating smell, the very smell of analog! 

If there is one thing this thread has accomplished so far is to show that a fair number of members have the polar opposite view of the OP.

Plenty here have revealed that they have actually moved INTO the r2r world with many stating purchased used r2r machines at fair prices in full working order.

It's not mainstream and never will be and is not for those without patience or time.
There will be repairs or tune ups required along the way.

But the sonic rewards are well worth it imho.

I just wish the market for used original recorded r2r music was not quite so "buoyant" as it is. Routine actual selling prices of $50 plus for popular titles is not fun at all.

Seems as audiophiles we’re all on the fringes anyway in terms of our own obsessions with sound quality and musical enjoyment (not a passion shared/appreciated by the majority of the public).  I think it’s great that there are so many options that one can explore (new/vintage formats alike).  For me it has always been making a connection with the music - in that pursuit there are many paths to audio Nirvana, let reel-to-reel tape be one of them.