early 80s stereo receiver mm/mc phono....

Don't know how much you are planning to spend, but there is an HK 790i on ebay NIB Buy It Now for $300.

remotes weren't commonplace 'til the late 80s, so you're probably looking at that era. in contrast to mofi, i'm very happy with my yamaha rx1000--lots of power features, etc. i've also heard some 2 ch sony es from the same period which should fit your bill.

I got into the high-end business around that time. Nakamichi, Harmon Kardon, Kyocera, Denon all made very nice receivers. I sold Yamaha for years, but didn't really think that highly of it. Just my opinion, but you could do better.

the Nikko Beta 1 and III preamps have excellent phono stages, so perhaps a Nikko receiver from the same period would be equal.