DE does not equal T5. DE does not work as well imho, so that is problem one. Problem two is not understanding that the color will darken no matter what when the solvent is removed. Water clear tincture turns into golden amber crude. Amber tincture will (generally) turn closer to brown. This is normal and to be expected. Age of biomass (how long ago was it harvested) coupled with age of biomass when harvested (how many weeks was it in flower and what color were the trichomes) can both play a big role in determining color.
The T5 AC combo works best with the cold tincture being passed over the same bed three times. You can attempt multiple passes with the DE bed, but I cannot attest to whether it will perform as well as doing the same trick as written in the OP. I know it can work, but will it work as well? Test it and let us know.