Just got 5 tubes of Yonex TR shuttlecocks I purchased via online. Did I get their old stocks of TR shuttlecocks? You can see the difference in color between the AS-30 and the TR. The difference in model shouldn't be taken into account.
Not necessarily. It can depend on the bleaching process. Sometimes you get a softer bleach that doesn't whiten the feather as much, but it seemingly from observation helps to prevent the feathers becoming too brittle.
Exactly. Some feathers are naturally very white, and they are chosen for the highest grades. Some are brown or yellow and are bleached, and that makes them fragile a little. Sonit is better for your shuttles to be more yellow then to be bleached pure white.