Quote Originally Posted by Beave View Post
They can have very different gain curves for the volume control but still have very similar max output capabilities.

Think of the volume control like the gas pedal on a car - some cars have touchy pedals, where the lightest effort really gets the engine going. Some require quite a bit more push on the pedal to get the car moving. But that has little relation to the actual power of the engine itself.

The NAD that I owned got VERY loud with the volume knob only at about 10 o'clock. By 12 o'clock it was blasting loud, but beyond that, from 12 o'clock and beyond, it didn't get much louder.

The Cambridge needed to be at about 12 o'clock to be the same volume as the NAD was at 10 o'clock. They both had about the same power ratings, but their volume controls tracked quite differently.
Yes of course - the volume attenuation is generally never linear. But as you say, the Sierra's are easy to drive and pretty efficient. I really doubt I am pushing things to any clipping limits, but as per my last comment, swapping in some more headroom would not hurt this exercise (other than my pocketbook) and would remove any future concerns on this front ...