Hi Jon,
That sounds like a cool comparison

, I hope the toms were well tuned

.
Could you describe the difference the preamps made, compared to eachother and how much difference the preamps made in the whole chain, compared with mic placement/mic etc.?
I know describing sound is difficult, but these are exactly the kind of tests I'm looking for but definitely won't be able to carry out in my humble space...
Greetings,
Dirk