Fidelity vs. Musicality...........Is there a tug of War?

The timbre of instruments is determined by the harmonic spectrum and the attack and decay of each harmonic relative to the fundamental.
This means changing the frequency response (local ratio of harmonics opposite the fundamentals) or the decay of harmonics needs to alter.
Amps do not change decay and attack so that leaves ... frequency response.

@stuartk , Sorry for the delayed response. I wish everyone could afford
an ultimate system. On the other hand one need not spend totally ridiculous money either. Accurate reproduction is not a problem of visual aesthetics. It is not an issue of personal taste. It is a science problem dealing with the accurate reproduction of sound. It is about physics and engineering, nothing else. Save the emotion for the music. There is equipment out there that is of extraordinary value and there is equipment that is pretty bad and sometimes it is not cheap either. It is up to the consumer to choose wisely. Most consumers are out to sea without a compass. They are subject to marketing which as we all know is the fine art of lying. Listening to what people think they hear is a seriously bad mistake unless you know that person and their experience well. What any system sounds like is a relative issue. It depends on what the person has been listening too. As an example, if the person has been listening to a system that is too bright, a system that is accurate will sound dull. If you really want to know what you are doing you have to calibrate your brain by measuring your system. In order to know what you are hearing you have to know what you are listening to. If you do not than your opinion is worthless. I think I just insulted at least 3/4 of the people on this site. It is easy to measure your system and all of you already have the most expensive part of a measurement system, your computer. 

Anyone (with a lot of money) can spend a lot of money on a system and come up with a pretty bad system. The trick (and fun) is to come up with a great system for reasonable money. I think you can create an "absolute sound system, including turntable for about $100,000. In another few months it might be up to $120,000 if the powers that be continue to destroy the economy. It might be less. I should also note that the single most expensive (and important) component is usually the room. 

@mijostyn:

Thank you for your response. 

What you assert is certainly consistent with my experience. I started out with a really (in my room) edgy combo-- B&W's with Rotel and Creek components. After that my knee-jerk response was to go too far in the other direction-- Silverline monitors with Jolida tubed integrated and tube CDP. 

Moving to SS amp and transport + DAC helped but the fact that the system is located in our living room imposes constraints that gear upgrades cannot surmount, unfortunately.  

I'll have to wait until we move (likely within 5 years) and I can set up a dedicated room and start over from scratch, with neutrality as the aim. 
Given my age (65) my next system will be my last and I'd like to do a better job, this time. 

I'm not by nature, a patient individual- - I'm thinking I may buy a decent set of headphones and try to satisfy my audio jones that way, in the interim.

BTW, there's no way I can afford 100K.  I might manage 50K.  I'm OK with used gear.  

Funny people with money sit close at concert .But if you look at them they have earplugs in  .LOL.I remember when I was young and you could go to tickecton in my nearest Macys and get there at opening ,when a Concerts tickets were going to go on stage and for like less than 10 bucks ,I could get front row seats.WOW...but after the concert I was deaf.So then I would get the front row in the balcony. Directly front stage with no one in front of me and they were great and didn't hear my hearing...

Fidelity. Free trades and great customer service.