...is only applicable to audio equipment operating solely on digital signals. Humans don't hear digital signals, we hear pressure changes, so at some point, those digital signals need to be transformed into analog voltage signals to drive pressure transducers (loudspeakers). Those analog voltages are measured by a different reference, a standardized voltage, as opposed to the absolute max of a digital scale. Analog voltages are commonly specified in dBV or dBu (0 references of 1 volt and ~0.775 volts, respectively).
The majority of the pro audio gear I've seen interacts with analog signals. So at some point in a piece of gear that handles both analog and digital signals, you're going to have to define a reference point between your digital and analog levels. This can vary from one piece of equipment to the next. The professional audio gear worth it's salt that I've seen can handle analog signal levels of +18dBu or more. Consumer and pro-sumer audio gear have lower limits, and can vary wildly. So 0dBFS signal going into your USB audio interface might come out as a +16dBu analog signal, while the same digital signal going into a professional mixing console might come out as a +24dBu analog signal.
Edit: Grammar and spelling