Bryston B-100 or Luxman L-507u?


First post. ;-)

Plan to upgrade my integrated amp to a Bryston B-100 (basic model) or a Luxman L-507u.

Has anyone compared these two? My system, albeit modest, is a pair of B&W 805 matrix on the 805 Sound Anchor stands, the other end is an Oppo BDP-83SE. The amp that either of these would be replacing is a 15 yr-old Cyrus III with PSX-R.

I live in Japan (expat Canadian). The Luxman I can get for a fair amount cheaper here, than it goes for stateside. The Bryston, I'd buy from a someone back home and have it sent over to Japan.

I Iike the simplicity of design (inside and out) of the Bryston, but the fact that the Luxman seems to be a good deal here, is tempting.

Would appreciate any thoughts comparing these two amps.

Thanks

Peter
128x128petehb123

Showing 4 responses by petehb123

Thanks to all for your quick responses! ;-) I had the chance to listen to the Bryston B-100, Luxman L-507u, an Ayre integrated, as well as one big brute made by Marantz in a shop in Akihabara yesterday. But the listening conditions were far from ideal. People kept on coming in the door off the street, sirens going by outside, speakers were not the same as mine, delays in switching between the amps, etc., etc. So I can only take my own impressions with a hefty grain of salt. FWIW, I thought the Luxman had amazing imagery, very 3-D like but sounded bright to my ears. I'm afraid that I may get tired of this sound. But who knows, it may match OK with the 805's for example. Marantz, was not bad but didn't prick up my ears in any way. Ayre was laid back, pretty neutral sound, nice. Bryston, more of a forward presentation than the Ayre, yet seemed equally neutral. I seemed to think this was the best sound for me. I should really try to listen to these again several times but I have a chance to pick up a new Bryston at a good price and time is running out. So, Bryston it will probably be. ;-) But I really appreciate your comments and glad you are happy with your choices.
@Xti16. I mailed James Tanner, VP of Bryston about the voltage concern early last week and he replied back in minutes that, it would no problem to use the Canadian version in Japan which is 100V.
@Toronto416. I read your other posts on the on the L-509u. I think a lot of people really are thankful for the information you shared. Maybe I will try to listen to 509 today if I can.
Thanks for all the additional input. Much appreciated.

I just received a follow-up mail from James Tanner at Bryston. Apparently the N.A. version will probably have voltage problems in Japan. The B-100 has a protection circuit that prevents the software from being corrupted. Any voltage below 104V will shut it down. I don't really think I want to go the step-up transformer route for fear of degrading the SQ. So, it looks like I may be taking a closer look at Luxmans and other brands mentioned above.
@Renjy651. Thanks for the information on transformers. Will definitely keep that in mind for future reference. It sounds like you know a bit about the Luxmans. ;-) Do you think the L-507u is the best buy (in Japan) as far as cost/performance, especially when comparing it to the 509u? Did you have much time to compare those two?
Just a short follow-up. Have decided to buy the Bryston B-100 here in Japan (yes, it's the 100V version). Went to Dynamic Audio in Akihabara and they gave me a price that was (although more expensive than N.A.) not so painful. ;-) I can understand people opting for the Luxmans but I felt comfortable with the sound of the Bryston in store and, that Bryston twenty-year warranty (compared to the two-year one for Luxman in Japan) has to be the deal maker! Thanks again to all for sharing your thoughts.