I think Chebby's assessment is pretty much spot on.
As a budding Audiophile starting out, your upgrade path was pretty much laid out for you by the Hifi Mags. Back then, there were no forums or social media, so one's only source of info, were dedicated magazines who spread the word. The dealers mostly followed suit and stocked the recommended products.
The mainstay of the system was the TT. Your upgrade path usually followed a well trodden path ie. Sansui 222 mk2/Trio Kd 1033B -> Rega Planar 2 or 3 -> Linn Sondek LP12.
The more rebellious, less orthodox Audiophile rejected this and often went off piste: eg. Dual CS 505 -> Dunlop Systemdek -> Pink Triangle / Townshend Rock / Michell Gyrodec / The Source
The amp hierarchy was similar. It was OK to get a Japanese affair at a very budget level, but the standard recommendation was the Nad 3020 or the more expensive Creek 4040.
The next step on the ladder was either the Naim Nait or A&R A60, though the more adventurous would have looked at the likes of the Onix OA21 / Inca Tech Claymore / Myst tma3.
The amps that most aspired to, were those from Naim...by getting on the first Pre/Power rung of the ladder with the 42/110. Most didn't look beyond this, but those who did would have looked at Exposure V11/V111 / Inca Design ID35 / Audio Research / Conrad Johnson / Quad / Krell; or some of the Japanese exotica from Marantz, Pioneer, Sansui, Accuphase and Luxman.
The Hifi press at the time, dismissed the Japanese amps as "all bling" and poor sound quality...and that their TTs should be avoided on the grounds that they were direct drive.
There is no doubt that these recommended products sounded very well, but because of the "closed shop" mentality of the industry, most of us never considered the alternatives. This is why I constantly encourage the less well known brands, which have a lot to offer.