Is the quality of the AC in canada is better than USA ?

I live in a suburban area of Colorado USA just outside of Denver and my AC power varies from about 114VAC during heavy peak hours and it sometimes climbs to 126 to 128VAC late at night. I have to agree with the previous post about needing a quality AC line analyzer to chart not only the voltage variations over time but surges, spikes, and over all "cleanliness" of the AC power. Measuring voltage alone doen't give you the real story.

To really check your power, you need a high quality poer analyzer. These are expensive $10k-15k, But you can often rent one for a day at a cost of about $60-75. Make sure it has been recently callibrated. The power monitor will produce a graphic readout of your power showing surges noise, harmonics etc. You need to have minimal electrical activity in your home or mark spots on the graph to see if surges were caused by your use. I lived in Boston (MA) they put out power at 126 volts, much too high. Reality was that it was usually about 128 volts occasionally hitting 131! They did nothing about this. I have since moved outside the city where my power is 119-121 volts and I use a variac to warm my tubes up and control the voltage at 118.

Stick a meter type voltage tester in your recptacle. What does it say. Over 115volts is pretty good on the whole. Under 115volts not so good. A good time to test is around 12:00 on a red hot day when demand is high.(NON-WEEKEND) If your getting 120volts EXCELLENT!!!

Do you need a roomate?:~)

I was in Vancouver for years, where the wall power was HORRIBLE! Not just at my house--every audiophile I knew found that an AC conditioner made a huge difference. Now I live in a small town in California and the power is better, though I use a Cinepro Line Balancer and benefit from it. I agree with the first reply--you can't generalize. And in my experience, the more rural the area, the better the power.

What an interesting post! Maybe it depends WHERE in Canada. I am in Toronto, live in a 100-year old apartment building uptown with crap 15-amp (if that!) circuits.

If I lived in the USA, say, Montana, right beside a power station with a power transformer loming over my house and no neighbours, I would have to say that U.S. power is better!!

Canada vs USA power, I think, is too broad of a generalization. In an apartment, in a city, the power is bad (ask my amp). Usually better in less populated areas, but it also depends on other, more specific details, like where your line is at in the chain in relation to your neighbors. I do not know many specifics though. Good luck