The Hybrid X, yeah I never heard of those... interesting. I can see why they didn't do too well, but also it seems like they were marketed as more of a mid-range kit, not made in Germany but in Asia? They don't seem to have the same quality or value as, say, the Newports or Birch Infinites or other limited-edition runs. They do not sound good from what I can hear. Even beyond that awful kick recording there. The reason they sound bad to me is just because they sound tacky, not because of the wood mixing. When I listen to high-quality recordings of high-end Sonor kits they never sound like that!
I think maybe they flopped with that idea because a) they weren't actually high-end Sonors - Artstar mentioned they were made in China? - and b) because there isn't enough of a market for that kind of wood configuration. Most people want one sound, like the "maple" sound or the "beech" sound. But I don't think the fact that those kits did badly means one can't mix wood.
As a matter of fact - this will interest you, drumming sort of person - but the original Recording Custom kits had
maple kick drums. You must have bought one of the new RC kits that have birch kick drums? But all classic recordings you hear of Steve Gadd, for example, he was playing a maple kick with birch toms.
I'm definitely torn. At this point I am pretty set on medium shells. They seem to be a good medium volume/medium versatile sound (duh!) and I still like the idea of an all-birch kit for the reasons that have been mentioned multiple times by Wave Deckl, Florian, myself and others. But I also really like the idea of beech toms and birch kick, or maybe even a maple kick with beech toms. I really thought I knew what I wanted, lol. I guess I want everything. Maybe I'd better narrow it down a bit