Master volume

A level control placed after all the gain stages of an amplifier, so it sets the final loudness rather than how hard the preamp is driven.

Its purpose is to separate distortion from volume: the gain control decides how much the preamp clips and the master volume decides how much of that reaches the speaker. That works better on some designs than others, because a master volume cannot substitute for the contribution of a driven output section, which is why an amp turned down this way often sounds thinner than one worked hard through an attenuator. Some designs are deliberately voiced to compensate.

Example: a preamp gain high with the master low gives a distorted sound at bedroom volume, though the low end thins out noticeably.

Master volume

See also