Everyone wants to get the best possible with the least amount invested. This is logical, this is smart. But, when it comes to audio, it's rarely possible to buy something that, in a specific price range, effectively stands out from the competition. The market is already well leveled in this regard and, with exceptions, prices are proportional on the vast majority of audio brands. So, what I sincerely believe exists is the best possible result for a given level of investment and for a person's ears. Can I say that, for my investment level, there is nothing better? Certainly. But, it is only my truth. So, I think you are absolutely correct.
Regarding comparisons, unfortunately I was unable to do so. The fuses of the DAC and of the pre are small, in the DAC I believe that of 500mA or 325mA slow and in the pre I think is 2A fast. In the Audio Reserach, the fuse is large and 6.3A. So, for now, I couldn't make comparisons, but it would be really interesting, since an SR fuse buys almost 10 AMR. Anyway, the AMR Gold is far superior to the Bussmann NOS that I used before.
Curiously, I don't know if by coincidence, luck or for any specific reason, I always liked more gold components in the amplification stage (receptacles, fuses, power connectors, inlets, etc.), and more silver, rhodium and palladium in the digital transport and DAC stage. It seems that it also applies for the fuses. Let's see what kind of result changing the fuse to a more expensive model will bring to the amplifier in the future.