This "no rugs" concept is crazy to me!
I do get taming down the number of rugs. I think we go a little too far with them (none on the walls yet, lol). My fiance loves rugs and we have at least 3 that she purchased with no plan of where they would go. When she sees a rug she likes, she gets it. Financially it's almost as bad as audio gear honestly, lol.
But even when I lived alone I still needed a few rugs... specifically for sound dampening. And not in the sense of my stereo needs, but because rooms feel cavernous and echo without them. They do tame down sounds throughout the house and warm things up a bit. I think the living room almost always needs one unless the living room happens to be carpet. And even then it still makes sense sometimes.
But back to the audio focus. If you have hardwood, and especially if you have concrete flooring, just try a large rug in your listening space. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the results.