So using the preamps switch gives you...12+24= 36dB of gain if you need it????
Vinnie your gear rocks!!!!!!!
Yes, but that is a lot of gain - and gain is NOT the same as power.
For example, you can have a 1 watt amp with 100dB of gain. The gain tells you how much the input signal is amplified (multiplied), but the power rating of the amp dictates the max output voltage.
We decided to offer a switch for 0/12dB gain because so many preamps on the market have a TON of gain. This tends to give a "hair trigger" volume control - where the volume gets very loud early on the volume control. This should tell the user that they have too much gain. This is why the 0dB gain switch is so nice - it gives you the current gain of the tube stage and all the sonic attributes of it, but does not boost voltage when it is not needed. For amplifiers that are not as sensitive (i.e., their input sensitivity specification is a higher number), or for systems with less efficient speakers or with sources with lower output voltage, having the 12dB of gain can be a good thing.
Ideally, you want the most useable range out of your volume control. MAX volume should be as loud as you ever would play it (without reaching distortion). If you are reaching distortion (or it is just way to loud) well-before you reach max on your volume control, this means there is too much gain in the system. Ideally, you only use as much gain as you need. Having too much gain gives the hair-trigger volume that I mentioned above, and it also boosts more noise (reduces the SNR spec).
So when you read posts of users talking about "at only 9 o'clock on the volume amplifier X rated at 10 watts sounds louder than amplifier Y rated at 100 watts, so maybe it is really a more powerful amp!" this is
not useful information about how powerful the amplifier is. It just tells you that amplifier X has more gain. At some point, amplifier X is going to run out of juice before amplifier Y
Hope this is not confusing
Vinnie
