From an end consumer point of view digital carriers and playback devices have overwhelming convenience which squashes all considerations of the best" sound quality. When you think about the sheer vulnerability and wear and tear on a reel to reel with the constantly spinning capstan, cogs, gears clutch pads, perishing plastic gears, numerous belts and motors, not to forget the heads, condition, alignment etc. Machines etc deally are optimised for different grades or even brands of Magnetic tape. Within that field there were at least two formats of pre-recorded tape produced and older machines were not compatible with four track stereo tapes commercially available. It's really a nightmare.
On the other hand, there must always be a strong and religious following in professional recording studios for magnetic tape and analogue electronics - even with valves - starting with the great man crop hones like the Neumann/MGM modified and extending right through to the final master tape. At the end of the day the stereo LP is and will forever be the most practical and maintainable/convenient system for anyone wanting to enjoy music in the home as reel to reel is too limited and temperamental. I think the same goes for high end music cassettes which also have, despite their other sonic limitations, a similar warmth and mid range depth to tape. You can see how Decca in the 60s and 70s tried to emulate that tape sound in their famous wide band and early narrow band LPs with exaggerated bass effects.
I've got this completely refurbished pristine Philips NN4414 (c.1975) and I can't get a really pristine FM radio signal on live concert broadcasts (which arguably should be the highest quality audio availableas DAB is restricted) which would test its capabilities. Doesn't seem much point recording from a digital source.