Yeah, the DWs are like playing lighting in that they have tons of quick attack due to a slightly thicker shell than the Ayottes (1 ply thicker I believe) and sharper bearing edges. The kick is what initially sold me on that kit, it's a real canon.
In comparison, the Ayottes are like playing thunder in that I've never heard floor toms with that much rumble... They, along with the kick, can be just pure atom bombs...
I also have a Taye Studiomaple kit for gigging in similar sizes (8, 10, 12, 15, 16, 20) that simply can't touch either the DWs or Ayottes, but I doubt this would surprise anyone. Yes, I'm a maple guy after having been through the birch and mahogany... Walnut and bubinga always seem nice and there are always the more exotic woods. I like my 20'' kick too
The Ayotte toms sound ''bigger'' (not that the DWs are wimps!), ''rounder'' and ''warmer''... Employment of these rather abstract terms here is probably due to the exceptionally thin shells and wood hoops. They seem to have more mids & low-end or at least less top-end than the DWs can give such an impression.
The DW kick seems to have more punch and (4k?) cut to it followed by some nicely resonating sub-bass frequencies. The DWs (especially the toms) all seem to have such clear and defined tonalities to them although with less ''body'' than the Ayotte toms. I'm in no way saying that the DWs are thin-sounding, it's just that it's more of a quick initial and cutting attack followed by pure resonance with the DWs as opposed to a slower bloom and decay with the Ayotte toms with probably about the same amount of resonance. Apparently resonance only makes up 20% of a drum's sound anyways...
If there was only a kit out there that blended the best of Ayotte and DW, I'd certainly pick them up in a heartbeat - if I had the money... If anyone knows of any such drum company, please speak up! Come to think of it, there is always Luka percussion or probably any solid shell drum maker (Craviotto, etc.) that could probably offer such a level of sonic bliss. Maybe Tempus drums too? Medicine Man? Unix or other custom stave drum builders? I'll get to work on those sound files now...