Hi Scotty,

not an expert on the Dr Z amp as you know. I have already made my suggestion to you (going for a power attenuator - but not only for the Dr Z Crunch as explained somewhere else in this forum). I understand that spending more money, handling more equipment for gigs is not what you are looking for - and you are right.

But all amps that need a fair high amount of power section load with the "pre amp model approach" needs - from my understanding - a quite high volume level and therefore the master volume cranked up into aereas which are objectively loud.

But there may be alternative ways to break up that specific amp for a good Crunch tone you want to achieve. I have seen 2 (??) drive knobs in the amp model. So may be some Dr Z amp experts can give valuable tips to you ???

Master volume at 2 o clock should be sufficient to get the pre amp models breaked up as they are able to do within their specific natural limits. At the end you need to fix your Master Volume for live playing at a defined level for all your amps. Especially the DT25 may run out of enough Headroom for clean tones (that was at least my concerns going for a 25 Watt amp in my Band with a loud drummer) going over that limit. But there is no better way other than expermenting what fits to you. Of course with a power attenuator you can increase your Master volume even higher than 1-2 o clock and you can reduce the additional volume by lowering the volume via your power attenuator. But I think you should give the amp some free Headroom for random peaks. If I remember correctly from the SPL Reducer manual  (a former attenuator I have used) they recommend not to go over 70% with your master volume.

The real Hi-Gain amps like Treadplate, Uberschall, Engl, Line6 should have more than enough load from the pre amp and power section to come into a satuaration mode without any additional effects by setting Drive >= 45%, Amp volume >= 40% (and Master Volume 1-2 o clock). There is no need for an additional distortion or overdrive pedal on these amps to get a good distorted Rhytm and Lead tone.

All the Marshall amps (Park-75, JTM45 (don't remember the right expression), JCM800, Plexi Lead) nicely breaks up with Master volume at 1-2 o clock. But they benefit for Lead playing with either the Overdrive or a Distortion Pedal like the Screamer, which I like to use, to improve the sustain for example with a Stratocaster in Neck position: for a Ritchie Blackmore Lead playing tone I am adding some 20-30% Overdrive from an Overdrive Pedal with a JCM800 (may be this is a chestnut to you ...).

One example with a PARK-75 pre amp model and the Fender Telecaster guitar model on my JTV69 (position 1). If have recorded this at rehearshal (one Take - whole Band and with my former SPl Reducer power attenuator) This model really shines only with master volume cranked up to get a Crunch Tone (don't know if this is what you are looking for  ???):

http://www.soundclick.com/player/single_player.cfm?songid=11740467&q=hi&newref=1

Clean Amps like the Fender Twin are staying quite clean at Master Volume 1-2 o clock. All the rest of the POD HD amps are a black box to me so there is nothing I honestly can contribute.

Hope you get some additional opinions from other users to proceed in the right direction for you.

All the best - wolbai.