Measurements trump ears, every time. Even simple, basic measurements are far superior to any body ears when it comes to determining if replication is accurate. If you want to talk musical, my ears (my being mine, being johns, beckys, berts, sams, freds, etc )are better than anybody elses.
If tape is superior, its measurements will be superior, end of story in the real world, but in the world of religion, faith and the sun circling around the world are one in the same, same goes with audiophile religion.
I've spent a life time measuring electronic things, and therefore i am the one who laughs when someone tells me that ears somehow can better determine than measurements the accuracy or the replication of a signal vs measurement tools.
Anybody out there who can claim to determine an audio frequency down to less than .005hz, or .001db, or a simple distortion of a tone to .0001% with their friggen ears is insane.
Musicality, thats preference and a free for all. I don't doubt you all hear "better sound" with tape decks, but that does not mean it is accurate, and if it is not accurate, then it calls into question the whole point of current plain old stereo's illusion since you would expect the most accurate signal to produce the most convincing illusion or why do we have two channel stereo in the first place...
m
Tom