... why would one even consider cassette media would be worth listening too.
Mark, to add to Uberwaltz’ comments I would feel safe in saying that if, as I did, during the 1970s and 1980s you had purchased a considerable number of cassettes that were issued on the Connoisseur Society In Sync label you would not have asked this question.
That series of cassettes presented classical music performed by highly distinguished artists of the past such as pianists Ivan Moravec and Ruth Laredo and violinist Wanda Wilkomirska, among many others.
And regarding sound quality, as I mentioned earlier these cassettes were duplicated on chrome tape in real time. Meaning that every cassette sold was copied from a master tape at normal playback speed, rather than being duplicated at high speed as was usually done by other labels. The resulting sonics, as in the example I cited in my earlier post, were often spectacular.
Regards,
-- Al