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RE: Basic Amplifier Question: Gain vs. Watts

Posted by mls-stl on July 14, 2012 at 07:44:01

In Reply to: Basic Amplifier Question: Gain vs. Watts posted by Alan A on July 13, 2012 at 19:23:10:

There are a couple of ways to talk about gain.

One way is to consider it a measure of how much input it takes to get full output from the amp. Take your Bryston 100 watt amps, one switch setting has 23 dB gain and the other 29 dB.

In both cases, the maximum output of the amp is the same, but the higher sensitivity number -- 29 dB -- gets there "faster". It takes less input from the preamp or source to hit full power.

With your Bryston, the point of the switchable gain is to better match the amp to your preamp or source.

If your preamp has a high output voltage, you will want your amp switched to the lower gain setting. Otherwise, on the high gain setting, your volume control won't have as much range. You may find you're trying to fine-tune your volume setting using only the bottom quarter of its range.

However, if your preamp has a low output voltage, you will need a higher gain (higher sensitivity) amp. Otherwise, you may find you can't reach your maximum listening volume even with the volume knob all the way up.

So, no, a higher gain setting does not give your amp "more power". It simply allows you to better match it with your other components.

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