Hi Aric,
Good point, total system gain is what I was alluding to and of course the gain of the power amplifier needs to be known. My amplifier most probably has more gain than the Pass Labs amplifier. In my system 18 db of gain from the preamplifier was too much(very loud at 10AM VC setting) 10 db is ideal (for my amplifier). Another consideration would be the front end (source) voltage output.
Charles