Less volume with a more powerful amp

Thank you all for putting things in perspective.

In theory but, in practice, it would depend on the output capabilities of the preamp.

Actually, a lower sensitivity (higher numerical value) is commensurate with a lower noise floor.

I'm assuming there's a point at which the lack of sensitivity begins to prevent part of the signal from being transferred or amplified.

The significance of the gain and of the SNR is dependent on what you feed it. I do not know what you mean by "the threshold of signal loss."

Okay, thank you. I guess what I'm getting at is where the threshold of signal loss begins. Is it interdependent on the gain of the pre or will it occur at a certain point regardless? And will the noise floor begin to add to it? Or is it a separate issue?

I don't mean to pester you but is high sensitivity commensurate with a low noise floor given all other performance parameters are of a high standard?

I do not think there is a single answer. Since it is interdependent with other design parameters, it is not an independent variable.

Obviously, sensitivity needs to fall within a useful range for commercial success but some designers have specific targets and others do not.

Is particular amp sensitivity a predetermined engineering goal for a given design or is it an incidental outcome?

Amp gain (sensitivity), not output power, determines the necessary level setting.