Yes there is an analog gain but since volume is controlled by digital attenuation, the analog gain is set to the maximum listening level, which is rarely used.
The ideal solution would be a digital format where desired attenuation is passed along to the amp, but I don't think eg Toslink does that.
So yes if you want single device (phone) control over volume then you attenuate and amplify a noisier signal only for the convenience of not having to use dual volume controls. It's less than optimal, but like I said, I think there aren't any good digital audio standard with attn.?
So while you do amplify noise, surely you don't want to also lose range? Even if the noise dominates, the DR can easily be avoided!
The ideal solution would be a digital format where desired attenuation is passed along to the amp, but I don't think eg Toslink does that.
So yes if you want single device (phone) control over volume then you attenuate and amplify a noisier signal only for the convenience of not having to use dual volume controls. It's less than optimal, but like I said, I think there aren't any good digital audio standard with attn.?
So while you do amplify noise, surely you don't want to also lose range? Even if the noise dominates, the DR can easily be avoided!