The difference between volume and gain explained

Though both words sound similar, there's a fundamental difference between the two, as Paul explains.

[ryangoodall]

This was the BEST explanation of Gain and Volume ever. Fantastic job Paul!!!

[timleelim]

We've literally gained volumes of knowledge from this video 😊

[ConstantinDendrinos]

Such a good question and such a simple and great answer! Thank you Paul!

[Think_Up]

When Paul's paper goes down and the glasses come of, you know you are about to be gut punched with facts and logic.

[balacisco]

OMG, that was the greatest simplest explanation for volume and gain, so the
1 volt in
Volume set to .2 volt
The output also changes accordingly,

So volume influence both input and output

[ivindholta]

With reference to the Mark Levinson 326S, there is an other thing witch can be taken into consideration, as well:
- This amplifier have independent gain control for all its inputs - witch mean you can also use this gain control to adjust, and equal out different signal strengths from different sources!

[ChannaGun]

Thank you Paul, for that intuitive explanation! I'm a stereophile from Sri Lanka and have been for about 35 of my 51 years; it's just today that I truly understood the difference between volume and gain!

[subwoofer]

This actually really helped explain how the Pre and Post gain works on my Peavey amp for my bass rig. Was using them backwards this whole time. The manual does a poor job of explaining how they work, but this really cleared things up for me.

[taidee]

👏, great explanation Paul, thank you.

[bear]

Hi Paul, great explanation, in radio work we have Rf gain control, interesting, but the way you explained is the best way . Regards mark

[jimc]

It helps, never knew we needed it! Thanks!

[SAGNI]

Great video ! I own the Vandersteen Quatro Wood CT loudspeakers and they are extraordinary, wouldn’t trade them unless I was upgrading in the Vandersteen line.

[stimpy]

It’s a great question. Really good explanation today Paul.

[scottjarvis]

probably the best explanation I've ever heard

[johnnytoobad]

Gain is just the ratio between input and output (typically voltage) in a linear circuit.
(Power amps DO have current gain values but this is rarely published and/or talked about
since it is dependent on the voltage gain AND the load)
"Volume" is a subjective audio term and typically "controls" both voltage gain and current gain
since humans tend to listen to music through impedance loads.

[endrizo]

wooo what is that white box in the background with 2 huge holes for two big woofers??? looks like a washing machine.

[NateEll]

Years back I had a preamp that had separate gain and volume controls. The gain control was not particularly useful.

[abxaudiophiles]

Enlightening as always guys! Well done. 😊

[dipanjanbiswas]

Brilliant explanation as always 👏A future book idea can be a HiFi FAQ - based on the hundreds of queries you've answered over the years on this channel 🙂

[seanb]

But if you use a passive pre, will you have enough gain to fully utilize your power amps watts and current?