What makes tape sound better than vinyl ?

It might be one of the big ironies of audio that tapes degrade, even though I suspect when properly cared for it’s probably not a huge problem, and that’s why digital came along. Another big irony is that solid state replaced tube electronics due to "reliability issues." Cassettes when cared for just a little do not degrade. First, tape has been the first step in most recordings ever since digital first reared its ugly head. Second because digital has been playing second fiddle to vinyl and even cassettes like forever in some VERY important respects such as emotional involvement and musicality. Yes, I know what you’re thinking, "But digital is getting better!" Perfect Sound Forever! Horray! 😛

Doug Sax proved the superiority of direct-to-disk LP's over tape recording way back in the early 70's. Take a direct mic feed from a band playing live, record it onto the best tape machine you have (even the best in the world, that of Water Lily's Kavi Alexander), and cut a d-2-d LP at the same time, comparing the two formats to the direct feed. The d-2-d wins, hands down. Compare a d-2-d LP to any tape recording you can name. No contest.  

Yeah, some guys 'bake' the tape, use LAST tape and head preservatives and do other things. I use LAST head preservative that ideally should be applied before playing each cassette. My deck probably has 5000-6000 hours of playtime on it and the head has a minimal wear.

I believe, best tape decks and turntables/arms/cartridges were made later than in early 70's. Or the tape itself, for that matter. He proved nothing.

That Direct to Disk thing really caught on, eh? The industry had a different idea in mind. Overly aggressive dynamic range compression. 😬