The difference between Volume and Gain, and ”loudness” overall (Audio Engineering)
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Gain is how much amplification is done to the incoming signal.
Volume control usually is actually how much attenuation is done to the outgoing signal, where max volume (if unity) is simply no reduction.
Most home speaker amplifiers have a gain of around 29dB (standard set by THX). 2Vrms is a standard output for unbalance (RCA), which is 0.5W (into 8ohm), so a standard +29dB amp should turn that into ~56Vrms which is ~390W, but now that obviously isn’t what most amps are capable of due to limitations of internal components, but that’s around the max possible wattage unless the gain is higher (for balanced audio the standard is 4Vrms, which after 29dB of a gain is ~113Vrms or ~1.6kW). Some amps choose to have a lower gain in order to have lower levels of distortion & noise, but then the max wattage is lower per input voltage.
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