Not really. If the industry took into consideration the percentage of wattage at a certain volume level, subs would be rated much higher and amps would be rated much lower. Never once have I seen a blown sub be sent to service and the technician calls up and asks "what volume was it at?" The three questions normally considered are "how was it wired?", "what amp?" and "what box?" The equipment is designed to perform optimally in it's rated range.

And being in the car audio business, I would think you've already come to realize that the majority of the consumers out there do infact crank their gains up and max the volume.

 

^^ becase most of those consumers are idiots ^^

I hated even putting my gains even at half when I had my memphis belle.

 

thats good to know though. I never knew what the difference in gains actually was.

 

most people treat it as a volume control, and although it does the same thing(varying the input voltage) its primary purpose is to limit the input voltage to match up with the amplifiers electrical output capabilities.