The upper level RS 1500 series of Technic's reel to reel's are probably the finest ever made and were available in that time period.
If some of the passive parts are updated along with a few other mods, the AGI 511A is a stupendous performer. As i've mentioned before, this product was light years ahead of the audio market when it was introduced. What other product had a phono stage that could slew at over 300 V/uSec, had a rise time of less than .01 uSec or had a line stage that was flat to beyond 200 KHz back then??? Remember, the original 511 ( non "A" version ) was released in 1974 and i think that the A version came out in about 77 or so!!! For that matter, what products made today are that fast or as linear ??? YES, you CAN hear the difference !!! Just remember that if you do get one, these pieces are AT LEAST 20+ YEARS OLD and probably even older !!!
The Apt-Holman preamp as previously mentioned was not a bad piece either, but if there is an AGI to be had for similar money, why bother??? Given that AGI's keep going up in price though, the Apt-Holman is beginning to look more attractive. Like the AGI though, they will need some TLC to work at their best.
Polk Audio "Cobra Cables" i.e. either the first or second ( along with Mogami's ) wide bandwidth low inductance speaker cables. These and the Mogami's were the forerunner to all other "esoteric" speaker cables. Many amps could not deal with their high capacitance though, so they sounded like crapola with these cables. The cables weren't to blame so much as the design of the amps were at fault. These cables don't last long when they show up on the used market.
Fulton Gold speaker cables. For use as a speaker cable for subs or woofers with a very low crossover point, they are awesome. Not for use above about a couple of hundred Hz at the very most though. What do you expect from a fine strand 4 gauge wire ??? Looks like MONSTER "Monster Cable". Nelson Pass said that you could "jump-start a locomotive" with these cables : )
Many fine yet esoteric speakers of that era i.e. The Beveridge's, Quad's, Hill Plasmatronic's, Ohm A's & F's, etc... All of them are relatively frail designs, limited in SPL and would require a "labour of love" to get them up and running like they should. If one were to do that though, they would know why so many people think so highly of each specific design. None of them are perfect ( what is ??? ), but they are all VERY special in their own way.
Yamaha M-80. As far as i know, this was the first product that proved that the "Far East" could make a pretty decent sounding high powered SS amp. Complete "dual mono" design with two decent sized "old school" ( non-toroidal ) iron core transformers. Can be made to sound MUCH better with some simple modifications. The factory binding posts are HORRIBLE !!!
Tons of vinyl related gear in this era, but i've rambled on long enough : ) Sean
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