That's some hi fi store!!! If teh Sony pre amp didn't have any "voltage" you wouldn't hear anything. Pre amp output voltage matters, ya need some otherwise you won't hear anything, if you are hearing something guess what? You have output voltage....sensitivity specs for teh input of Mac is? Should be standardized anyway, same with out on Sony pre. If you is hearing music, and it sounds normal, it's fine. What is the "clerk" talkin' bout? Why not get a Mac pre amp at least it'll look like a system the 2 will match, it might not soudn any different eitehr, but it will look cooler

Check with the specs on teh Sony manual to see what they spec as teh output volts on the pre amp out, so you can set the Mc to match it....I'd guess if you have the Mc set too low and you are delivering a higher V it would make the vol control very touchy for fine adj, and you may be able to over drive it, if set too high relative to the volt delivered you may not be able to get full output from teh amp. I'd guess closet match is best. Most stuff is around 1 -2V or so input sensitvity for full output of the amp, see what teh Mc manual wants also for best results.

I think you might have misunderstood what the clerk was saying. I also think the clerk didn't understand what he was saying.

Yes, if there is sound coming from the speakers when you turn the volume up at the Sony, you have voltage coming from the Sony. Mac does prefer a lower voltage sensitivity than most other consumer amplifiers, around 1 Volt, due to their continuing market outside the home audio business. With this lower input sensitivity you can have "too much" voltage coming from your pre amp section which would typically overdrive an amplifier's inputs. However, the amp you own should inclue the Power Guard circuit which would limit excessive input voltage at the amplifier's front end.

Therefore, I wouldn't change anything myself. If you wish to change the input voltage sensitivity, you should have the change made by a technician to get correct balance between channels. It's a simple job and the tech should charge little to nothing to do just that. You might have the tech go through the amp checking for correct bias and so forth and doing a general clean up at the time. This should be a basic service charge.

I think most would agree, the Mac far outclasses the Sony and you are not hearing the full potential of the power amp with the Sony in the path. I don't know this specific Mac amplifier but if it has individual gain pots on the front of the amplfiier, you might try running you CD player directly into the Mac's main inputs (with the gain controls at minimum setting) and then using the front panel gain pots as dual volume controls. This arrangement takes a bit of getting used to in order to balance the channels for listening but will provide the simplest path for the audio signal. There should be an audible improvement with this connection over running through the Sony. If not, then put the Sony back in line and don't worry about what the clerk told you, it wasn't very good advice.

Quote:
I was in a hifi store and the clerk said I was not appreciating the full potential of my mac because the reciever probably has no output voltage.

Sounds to me like the I.Q. of the salesperson is lower than the voltage level from your preamp.
Max output voltage from a preamp does vary from brand to brand but is rarely an issue. Just causes a difference in the position of the volume control to produce a given output level from your amp. Usually, there are exceptions.
He probably is correct that you are not getting the most from your amp though. But then again there are exceptions.