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Re: Have mine at factory default setting.

Navman,

The gain control on the MC162 is used to match the power amp to various pre amps. McIntosh pre amps assume 2.5 volt sensitivity on the amps as they will all swing 7 or more volts before clip. In the full clockwise position the 162 will have a sensitivity of .9 volt for full output. The detent position of the gain controls is to match the THX spec so if various McIntosh amps are used in a system they will all have the same sensitivity and output power. The larger amps will of course play louder. The gain controls will not have an effect on distortion or power output. This always remains the same and is dependant on your AC line and speaker impedance.
Your pre amp may be more linear at lower output voltages so you may find it sounds clearer when the 162 is set for maximum gain. The trade off will always be an increase in the apparent noise floor of the pre amp as the gain of the amp is turned up.

Thanks,
Ron-C


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