I'm familiar with all their hardware features, with Yamaha and Tama mounts being my favorite.
The Renown tom mounts are nice too. Simple, sturdy, and not too bulky.
IMHO, the type of hoop is going to determine much of the drums sound and how they feel to play, more than the type of wood used*. The models with heavy die-cast hoops will sound drier and more focused. Playing near the rim will produce bright, loud overtones, and they'll feel a bit more resistant under the stick. Old Gretsch's are this way, and that's what you're hearing on many of the old jazz records. The Renowns, having those same hoops, and similar shell design, will sound pretty close to the jazz kits of the late 50's and 60's.
So, it would make sense to play a kit with die cast hoops, and then play one without, if you can, to see what you prefer. From there, pick something that looks suitable on stage.
which kit is worth the investment?
A classic finish and reasonable sizes will help a kit to sell, later on, but you're going to lose almost half the value as soon as you play on it. You don't often see jazz players using Mapex, Pearl, or DW -- for whatever reasons, Yamaha and Gretsch are the most popular within that scene.
I would use the kit for jazz, but I would like a tuning range to handle bebop to rock.
There's no reason you wouldn't be able to tune any of those kits down low for a rock gig. Your ability to tune drums will determine that, not the drums (assuming everything is in proper working order). For louder rock gigs, it's a good idea to put a reso head with a mic hole on the bass drum, for more volume, and also a punchier sound. It takes so much work to get a kit that's been tuned for jazz, to sound like a rock kit, that it makes sense to have two kits, or at least two bass drums. You might consider adding on a 20" kick.
For example, some players think the DW Performance shells choke at higher tunings
Doubtful. If people don't *like* the sound of DWs tuned up, that's fine. But to choke any 8-ply drum, you'd have to apply pretty large amounts of force. If anything, the lighter hoops will flex somewhat, and help the shell resonate more at higher tensions, not less.
*Birch sounds much different from maple, usually because it is softer. Walnut, OTOH, is a harder species, so what Birch/Walnut sounds like is anyone's guess. Again, the type of hoop probably matters more than wood species.