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

Musicality is what one settles for when deciding not to elevate a system further. A false dichotomy is created (In premium systems fidelity and musicality are not antithetical) to support one’s budgetary constraints, the decision to accept a certain level of performance. The performance spectrum knows no such distinction as fidelity/musical. It’s an arbitrary distinction usually employed to support one’s decisions on system building. Superior audio systems do not lend themselves to being sliced and diced as having fidelity or being musical. :)

The terms are properly seen as synonyms, not antonyms. You are screwing up the endeavor of creating a superior rig and listening experience when you see them as antithetical.  :(

The Benchmark is a fine amp, and it hovers nearer the clean/sterile sound, some would say "white" sound as opposed to colored. It will not bring gobs of warmth as some prefer. This is all on a spectrum of characteristics, so opinions will vary, and that makes such discussion difficult.  Now, class D amps such as the Legacy Audio i.V4 Ultra have more warmth than the Benchmark and more resolution. See my reviews of these products at Dagogo.com. 

It's not the speakers. It's easy to characterize an amp when you use it in, say, 8-10 systems with five or six speaker genres, but if you only use it in one or two you have less understanding of the amp's character. However, different genres of speakers will influence how strong the character of the amp is expressed. Anyone who uses it in one rig and claims they know the sound only has a general idea regarding its character. 

patrickdowns, Harley is correct; one can never have too much resolution/detail. If you suspect you have too much resolution, you have made an error in system establishment elsewhere, typically in the tonal balance. 

The most challenging thing about a short list is that it tends not to stay short. But, the absolute worst is when it is down to two! Solution? Buy both! Then, find out in comparison that you really want a blend of both components' characteristics. Now, that's fun!   ;) 

charles1dad, the performance spectrum is VERY large, and some audiophiles either are only vaguely aware of superb sound at the other end of the spectrum, or simply do not care and declare. It is a sideshow around here watching people argue preference. We see declarations in regard to vinyl/digital, genres of speakers, amp classes, etc.