FWIW, the color change marks the transition from the head to the running line. It's more informational than anything else. It can be helpful when casting at distance or teaching someone to cast at distance.
I'll vote for Rio Gold all the way. I'm sure you'll have SA guys and Triangle taper guys backing their fav. I can't speak much on SA lines as I haven't used them often. I used 444SL for 20+ years. It was a stiff, slick line that was good for casting longer distances. The problem was the finish cracked. I hardly fish and would use a line during the season. My line was so cracked and messed up, I was forced to buy a line while on a fishing trip. The guy sold me Rio Gold. Love it so much, I stripped all other reels and got it for all my rods except the 3 weight which has Rio LT on it. Wulff TT does interest me but I can only find it in a limited number of stores and forget to pick one up due to ADD. I've had the same 5 & 6 weight Rio Gold lines on my rods for 3 years. Not a crack, no failure of loop and they still float great. I may be one of the few that also like Sharkskin. It floats like a cork, has zero memory and is a dream to mend. The sound is annoying, it chews up your fingers and some guys have had issues with the loop connection failing. Just my .02