One fine point on gain and attenuation. To attenuate means to reduce. Gain, on the other hand, does not mean to increase. It can be either positive or negative or zero. A gain of +dB means to increase, a gain of -dB means to reduce, and a gain of 0dB means no change.
A typical specification given for a preamp is the maximum amount of voltage gain it has. For a passive preamp this is usually 0 dB. In other words, when turned all the way up, the output voltage is equal to the input. However, a passive preamp with a transformer can have a voltage gain. This is unusual though.
A typical specification given for a preamp is the maximum amount of voltage gain it has. For a passive preamp this is usually 0 dB. In other words, when turned all the way up, the output voltage is equal to the input. However, a passive preamp with a transformer can have a voltage gain. This is unusual though.