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<blockquote data-quote="audioholic" data-source="post: 6968855" data-attributes="member: 549629">Adjusting the gain higher doesn&#039;t make an amplifier &#039;work&#039; any harder. I explained this recently in another thread. All adjusting the gain does is alter the sensitivity of the amplifier&#039;s input stage. If you lower your signal voltage, and raise the input sensitivity (gain knob) to adjust for the difference, the output stage of the amplifier will not even realize any change occurred... operating parameters would remain identical.You probably heard a loss in SQ because you expected to. Or, who knows, maybe you didn&#039;t dial the gain in just right after altering signal strength. Id add a third option of perhaps the difference in signal strength made an induced noise problem audible that previously wasn&#039;t, but it would take one hell of a noise problem to be heard with a 5 volt signal (when h/u is at full volume of course). Again, there&#039;s a good reason you dont see line drivers much any more, these new decks with 4-8v of signal strength just dont need it. Hell, Alpine has gone back to only 2volt decks, because even that takes a significant noise problem to make audible.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="audioholic, post: 6968855, member: 549629"] Adjusting the gain higher doesn't make an amplifier 'work' any harder. I explained this recently in another thread. All adjusting the gain does is alter the sensitivity of the amplifier's input stage. If you lower your signal voltage, and raise the input sensitivity (gain knob) to adjust for the difference, the output stage of the amplifier will not even realize any change occurred... operating parameters would remain identical. You probably heard a loss in SQ because you expected to. Or, who knows, maybe you didn't dial the gain in just right after altering signal strength. Id add a third option of perhaps the difference in signal strength made an induced noise problem audible that previously wasn't, but it would take one hell of a noise problem to be heard with a 5 volt signal (when h/u is at full volume of course). Again, there's a good reason you dont see line drivers much any more, these new decks with 4-8v of signal strength just dont need it. Hell, Alpine has gone back to only 2volt decks, because even that takes a significant noise problem to make audible. [/QUOTE]

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