Why does the dB rating get smaller on some stereo systems as you turn the volume up?

Question

Shouldn't it be the other way around, i.e. the dB display gets higher as you turn the volume up?

Answer 1

It’s actually getting bigger. They’re negative numbers.

Typically beginning with negative infinity (-∞), then -100, up to -1, and finally zero (0) being full throttle.

-1 is larger than -∞

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

The designer of the equipment may be representing the dB as attenuation. Thus lower dB is less attenuation.