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

Musicality is the purview of the musician. It is not the lack of annoying sonic characteristics such as sibilance or bass resonance. 

I have never appreciated a pan-accurate system that sounded bad. There are painfully few accurate systems anyway. I suppose you could say a system either sounds good or it does not. Accurate is very specific. Everything else is relative, relative to that person's experience.  You can't know what something sounds like if you have not heard it.

Every system is different and has a different set of problems and solutions. The permutations are endless which is what makes this an entertaining challenge. 

I remember the first glorious five seconds I heard the JC1s in my system. "I'm really going to like this!" Don't you love those moments? 

The best systems make everything sound better, everything. When confronted with a system capable of the absolute sound everyone will think it sounds great. Everyone knows what "right" is when they hear it.

"You better come on in my kitchen
Well its goin to be rainin outdoors."

@stuartk, you will know it when (and if) you hear it. 

A great system makes everything sound better, like an antique photograph looks better in focus. Even if it is black and white it can express a thousand words. Music is more than sound. It captures a moment of history. It's a long way to Tipperary.  

@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.