Specs & measurements
Dynamic range
Also called DR, DR value
Dynamic range is the span between the quietest and loudest sounds a system or recording can hold, in decibels. For equipment it is set by the noise floor; for a recording it depends on how much the mastering compressed it.
A device’s dynamic range is measured like SNR but with a quiet test signal present, so it reflects behavior at low levels. Figures above 110 dB are common for DACs and comfortably exceed what a listening room allows.
For recordings, the "DR value" used by loudness databases measures how squashed a master is. A modern pop album might score DR6; a classical recording DR15 or more. This has nothing to do with the playback gear, and no equipment can restore what mastering removed.
The term is distinct from Dynamics, the subjective sense of punch and contrast, though a recording with no dynamic range gives a product nothing to show.