Unfortunately you cant do a comp like this and have the results mean anything. Unless you use the same exact mics and placement. And the same exact source material for both recordings. Meaning it cant be a live performance you are recording. Why? because there are way to many variables.
The volume of the two sources is different. Even if you normalize them the content of the material is not the same. And therefor will not normalize out the same. You want to do a fair test mount the mics on a stand or something that does not move. Take prerecorded music and play it back once record it match the preamp levels so that they are EXACTLY the same. Using a simple VU meter is not accurate enough I would use a 1k tone for this ) because it will be easy to get an absolute reading and it will allow the real frequency response to be the determining factor. Then play back the source once with one preamp * record it * then once with the other preamp record it. Then you have real comparison. I doubt there will be that much difference due to the fact that my preamp is very flat.
From your past comments, it is apparent to me you will
never ever be satisfied with the conditions of any gear comp. That's okay. We are all entitled to our opinion.
But when you say a valid comp can't be done of a live source, to me, that's just defeatist BS.
Sometimes a comp will not accurately capture the true character of the gear being compared. It happens. But more often, I think the well executed comps that get posted do capture the characteristics. And when they fail to capture the character, the answers to the "why?" can be very valuable learning experiences for improving future recordings.
There are countless members here who have owned a lot of different gear over the years. They are intimately familiar with the nuances of it's performance and character, in a wide range of live recording settings. So when we hear a comp of that gear, we can often quickly identify which is which. And we can say whether the comp reflects our years of experience with the gear.
Do we have comps that capture key characteristics of gear character? The characteristics we have personally identified after years of experience, and countless recordings, with the gear in question? The answer is a strong Yes. That is why I so strongly disagree with many of your assertions on the topic of comps.
There are those of us who can hear a few seconds of a recording and tell the difference between mk4's and mk4v's. There are those of us who can hear a few seconds of a recording and tell the difference between the v3's a/d and the 722. And we can pretty much identify them blind every single time. We don't have golden ears. I certainly don't.
It is fine to talk about how a comp can be done better, and with more rigor. Even in cases where comps don't reflect the true character of the gear, they often still end up being very useful.
The big thing we really need are more comps. Tinybox comps. m10 vs. 722 a/d comps. Active vs. full body comps. There are still so many interesting comps to do.
It's fine to give feedback on the methodology of a comp. Comps are difficult. But to come into a thread and piss all over it by saying you can never do a live music comp. That just adds no value. To me.
IMHO