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

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.  :(

I have worked for years to assemble a system that is musical, and I will gladly live with it until I leave this earth. My system is composed of quality components, not expensive ones. Much of it is built by me, and now all I do is replace or repair what I have to continue my daily enjoyment of the music I love.

Like me, equipment ages and, at some point, it will fail to do what is asked of it. Just keeping evrything working properly is a necessity, and about all I can afford to do these days. I do love it though.

Best regards,
Dan

@oregonpapa “When you go to a live, unamplified performance, of a small jazz group, or even a symphony orchestra, do you sit there and say to yourself ... "Oh my God! ... listen to that detail?"

Great way of putting it. That was actually one of my observations… I can hear incredible detail… the wall reflections nuance of the acoustic space… but they are not stuck in your face. 
Oregon Symphony… Oregon PaPa?

douglas_schroeder has it right.  Fidelity IS musicality.  Musicality in this context is more than only the purview of musicians; it is also a component’s ability to more faithfully reproduce the details of what comprises that purview.  Some gear does this better than others.  The closer the sound of a component or system gets to the true sound of music (fidelity), the more musical the sound is. 

Fidelity to what?    There is no definable entity out there to be faithful to.