I'll take a stab at your questions.....
1) That rack will be fine for your components. They make a great rack and you'll be very happy with it.
2) Many people swear by the 18% grey (Kodak) as the perfect grey. Your milage may vary. Use the grey that seems right for your room. You could just use color. I used purple and beige, along with black everything else. Again, your milage may vary.
3) I'd go with TS+. The cost will be similar to carpet, if not even cheaper. That, and you'll get predictable acoustic absorption with TS+. With carpet, who knows what it will do to the sound. Why not go with something that works that the professionals use, that is available to us? Most carpet places charge additional for vertical runs of carpet.... I'm just not convinced that carpet is the better solution for Home Theater applications, or any theater for that matter. What is the RT60 of your room now, and what do you want it to be when you're done?
1) That rack will be fine for your components. They make a great rack and you'll be very happy with it.
2) Many people swear by the 18% grey (Kodak) as the perfect grey. Your milage may vary. Use the grey that seems right for your room. You could just use color. I used purple and beige, along with black everything else. Again, your milage may vary.
3) I'd go with TS+. The cost will be similar to carpet, if not even cheaper. That, and you'll get predictable acoustic absorption with TS+. With carpet, who knows what it will do to the sound. Why not go with something that works that the professionals use, that is available to us? Most carpet places charge additional for vertical runs of carpet.... I'm just not convinced that carpet is the better solution for Home Theater applications, or any theater for that matter. What is the RT60 of your room now, and what do you want it to be when you're done?