I listened to your RT707 podcast this morning on my way in to work. What a blast from the past...I have the RT909 (https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/uPsAAOSworNcRKPc/s-l300.jpg), the 10" reel version of the same tape deck that you have. I picked mine up in the mid-to-late 80s. Now I am racking my brain to figure out where I can pull it out of storage and set up. I want to go back and listen what I put on some of my tapes...

Comparing traditional music formats, LPs, reel tapes, etc to mp3s and oggs is like comparing "dead tree" books to e-books. With books, you have the physical sensation of a paper book...The smell of the book, the feel of flipping pages. Meanwhile, with music, not only do you have the spinning tape reels and the movement of the tonearm, but more than that, analog music has more depth and richness, and is generally a warmer ambience than digital music. But at the same time, I can put several hundred thousand digital tracks onto a device which fits in my shirt pocket, and only need a pair of headphones to partake. 

Anyway, it is gems like this show that make me enjoy HPR. Thanks Jon!

--vr