Don't worry guys - I have no affection at all for VHS; even as a 7 year old kid in 1983 (when our neighbours got Beta - MY parents didn't get a video until 1988!) I could still see the better quality picture of Beta a mile off! Still poor compared to off-air though
I got my 8track deck/tapes in 1998, so have no idea what the tapes sounded like new. After new pressure pads (read window draught stripping!)/resplicing/refoiling and a head clean, some of the tapes sound crazily good. My Hendrix "Live at the Isle of Wight" gives decent LPs a SERIOUS run for their money - and that surprised me too!