It is worth it! Try with the preamp vol set low and the output high, say around 8. Then try bringing up the preamp about one to one and a half numbers and adjust the output accordingly. And everywhere in between. In the Clean channel, not a world of difference: it's there, but the tonal changes are subtle. But with the Lead channel, I found there is a significant difference in the "gritty" vs "liquidy" timbre of the OD, as well as how the bass feels, and the amount of treble bite. Of course, adjust tone stack accordingly. It's almost as if the amp's character changes, and it's all usable differences in tone that are considerably more dramatic than merely turning treb/mid/bass settings.
FWIW, my DC5 has been my #1 go-to live amp for maybe going on 15+ years now, and has been awesome. A few years ago, I had gone through tube experiments and created my own personal cocktail, tailoring the tone ever further to suit my styles (less overall gain, more round and "Fender-y" but still well in the realm of Rock territory). But playing my Express 525 more lately, and live, I've been crossing over to that EL84 so-called "british" flavor more and more. Well as much as I love my DC5, it doesn't go there very well. No matter how I tweaked the gain and tone stack, it would not get me there. But after goofing with the ratios between said preamp/poweramp settings, man it gets me close! The mids and highs really wake up! Ya gotta give it a try, all. I'm curious if you find the various "new" voices I've found in there! Im going to revisit this whole experiment tomorrow with fresh ears, and critical objectivity. But likewise would love to hear what you all find.
Edward
FWIW, my DC5 has been my #1 go-to live amp for maybe going on 15+ years now, and has been awesome. A few years ago, I had gone through tube experiments and created my own personal cocktail, tailoring the tone ever further to suit my styles (less overall gain, more round and "Fender-y" but still well in the realm of Rock territory). But playing my Express 525 more lately, and live, I've been crossing over to that EL84 so-called "british" flavor more and more. Well as much as I love my DC5, it doesn't go there very well. No matter how I tweaked the gain and tone stack, it would not get me there. But after goofing with the ratios between said preamp/poweramp settings, man it gets me close! The mids and highs really wake up! Ya gotta give it a try, all. I'm curious if you find the various "new" voices I've found in there! Im going to revisit this whole experiment tomorrow with fresh ears, and critical objectivity. But likewise would love to hear what you all find.
Edward