WHat did Audiophiles hear during Tape deck era?

Head alignment was also critical which is why the "auto reverse" feature was often avoided by many.  Nakamichi introduced an auto reverse machine that thay called a "uni-directional auto reverse".  The playback head was fixed but the machine actually pulled the tape out of the deck, flipped it, and reinserted the tape.  The top of the line Dragon deck from Nakamichi electronically aligned the heads.  It was always important in top performers to have the record and playback heads independent.  The listener could then, with the push of a button, compare the tape recording to the original input signal.  

Replies to this query definitely confirm my age.  Naturally the goal of recording anything is to as closely as possible reproduce the original source.  High end cassette recorders my the likes of Nakamichi and Tandberg, when properly calibrated, did an excellent job in playback.  Frequency response and bias settings for the desired tape (Metal or CrO2), when performed by an above average dealer with proper test equipment, yielded outstanding performance. Many users saw the exercise as a way to preserve their record collections and prolong stylus life.