I'm convinced that if one took a commercially released Q4, one that had miraculously been duplicated right and came out in more high quality product than the average, and applied a recently developed method of correcting wow and flutter called Plangent Processes, that reel could be used for a commercial release.I find comparing Q8 which at 3 3/4 ips is a full 1/4 of what's on a 15 ips QUAD master tape or Matrix Vinyl [take your pick] which IS dependent on your Turntable/tonearm/cartridge combo set~up {as we all know some are WAY better than others], I find comparing any of the above to an original QUAD master a moot point......
Even QR Open Reel [dolby b or non dolby] constitutes 1/2 of what is contained on a 15 ips master ....... a step up, to be sure from Q8.......but still NOT THE REAL DEAL.
But until all the Q8s, Matrix Vinyl and QRs are released [IF EVER] on a high res digital medium from those masters ...... one must be content with the reduction in quality inherent in these formats. Something IS better than NOTHING!
We have all heard the ones that just don't quite cut it, and then we've heard the ones that really do attain a level of quality playback that just hits all the right spots.
This is the future of tape to digital restoration. I suppose it could improve a Q8 tape transfer as well.
https://www.plangentprocesses.com/https://audiophilereview.com/analog/plangent---a-better-way-to-transfer-analog-tape.html