The other thing that is happening for me with this update is, there are a bunch of amps that I just never bonded with - until now. It was never an issue worth even thinking about because there were so many great sounding amps in the box. But I have gone through at least 150 of the amps after updating to 18, and I have yet to hit one that doesn't sound absolutely great. I notice so much more distinction of character. A perfect example is the Princeton sim. Before i would dial it up and give it an appropriate cab and ask myself, really? People play this thing? But now, I'm like yeah! Now I understand. Can't possibly put my thanks to Cliff and team into words.
My observation too, I used to find some small Fender amps useless, now I love them, although I won't necessarily use them with my cover band
True. My understanding of tube amp sounds have progressed a lot with the AxeCliff made a relevant point a while back: if you get the EQ right, most people will hear no difference, and getting the EQ right is almost trivial with tone matching. But getting the subtleties of an amp's distortion right—that's a whole 'nother ballgame.
The more you play—and critically listen to—different amps, the more refined your ear for distortion becomes (how it performs on the attack, how it changes as it rings out, how it changes with changes in gain structure, etc.). That's what sets a good modeler apart. And it has a big effect on feel.