After reading your comment I quickly checked on the pre-out voltage from my yamaha rx-a2010. It says 1.0V/1.2k-ohm while my outlaw 7200 amp it is feeding ask for 1.43V for Full Rated Output . Is it possible I am underfeeding the 7200? I never knew this is something to look out for. And is there a way to determine if the pre-amp is clipping?
Thanks
Both components are rated oddly. The Outlaw is rated to have 28db of gain, yet reach 200W/ch with only 1.43v. Hmmm. Maybe I'm slow today, but the math doesn't appear to work on the Outlaw. As for that Yamaha, I can't see the owner's manual online without signing in, and I won't, but 1v into 1200 ohms is an odd output spec. The input impedance of the Outlaw is about 50K ohms, so the Yamaha is rated into a much more demanding load. Without measuring it is impossible to know how it all works out.
That Yamaha does appear to have a weak pre-out section. Great pre-amps and good pre-outs on receivers often do 5v, or more, into 50K ohms, and sometimes a lot more. If you're really worried about the last iota of quality I'd trade out that Yamaha.
On the other hand, at most volume levels with speakers of at least average efficiency in small to medium-sized rooms I doubt you're clipping that pre-amp section of the Yamaha. Maybe you are, and maybe a more capable pre-amp or receiver would sound better, but there's a good chance, IMHO, that the difference would be inaudible.
