After playing all these kits, and the tens of thousands of videos I've watched, here's my 2 cents.
I think the Catalina Maple and Catalina Club
sound the best out of all the budget kits. Better than the Yamaha Stage Customs (great value and great sound, albeit a slightly cold sound), better than the Sonor AQ series (I often hear slight inconsistency from drum to drum due to poor isolation mounting), and just slightly better than the Superstar Classics.
The Catalinas have a very clean and clear tone, with a very distinct attack. There's no muddiness. That's the classic hallmark of Gretsch drums. Perhaps the 5 lug toms have something to do with it.
I especially like the sound of the Catalina Club. The mahogany shells are so warm and pleasant sounding. The Clubs come with 1.6mm hoops, but I don't think that's a bad thing. It contributes to their sound.
Despite having a 7mm thick shell, they don't
sound thick to me. Usually, thick shells don't sing if you hit them quietly, but the Catalinas sing perfectly at low volumes. I prefer thin shells. (in the 5mm to 5.6mm range) Usually, thicker shells sound stiff and cold, but these 7mm Catalinas sound fantastic to me.
The only thing I don't like are the tom suspension mounts. Also, the other competing kits have slightly better hardware, but I can overlook that because the Catalinas sound so good.
@Rattlin' Bones, after seeing your enthusiasm for the Superstar Classics I took another look and realized I liked them more than I thought. Those thin shells sound great. The only slight issue with super thin shells is that they don't project as well, and don't "give back" to the player as much, if that makes sense. That's my only reservation.