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Having to turn up your gain controls means the signal level driving the amplifier is lower than it was before. Think of gain as just another kind of volume control.
One drawback of feeding an amplifier with too low of a signal is that you might not be able to drive the amplifier to full power.
But you won't hurt the amp in any way. What's potentially bad for amps is to attempt to draw excessive current which causes more heat. That's why amps generally have protection circuits to shut off the amp if things like short circuits or excess heat are detected.
One drawback of feeding an amplifier with too low of a signal is that you might not be able to drive the amplifier to full power.
But you won't hurt the amp in any way. What's potentially bad for amps is to attempt to draw excessive current which causes more heat. That's why amps generally have protection circuits to shut off the amp if things like short circuits or excess heat are detected.
