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


The format is dying and too expensive to repair properly. Heads wear out so easy and many out there are all worn.
High quality technicians are either retired or long gone. Its such an inconvenient format that can be equalled by nakamichi easily in tape decks.
Retire it please put them in museums. 
vinny55
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"No pre-recorded Elcaset tapes were produced and the machines were withdrawn from the market after only a few years.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/
So the OP and other members of his cult are out to “cleanse” the world of technologies they personally find inconvenient. How thoughtful of them! ?!? Yup, I hope that type of people never get the chance. Next thing, all “non-essential” activities would be banned in their utopia. 
I thought that having MiniDiscs and DCCs laying around was perverted enough, but you guys are making me consider Elcasettes.

Now, when R2R technicians are allegedly not impossible to find, does any of you know a technician that would dive into fixing one of the Unitra (Grundig license) machines? I do not think it is even broken but if someone would give it a clean bill of health, I may revisit some old tapes. Wish You Were Here and such.