which excels at Rock and Roll

[breathes on fingernails, rubs against shirt].

I respectfully disagree with janewyman. They’re on the right track, but they lowballed it just a smidge.

Interesting how some of our best systems were our most basic and cheapest. When it comes to rock, best to not overthink it. More bang, less buck. 

I know I’m gonna catch flak for this, and y’all are gonna shoot spit wads at me. Nonetheless, I stand by it:

One of my favorite speakers for rock and roll, were a pair of - ahem, wait for it - 

Cerwin Vega D-7’s, mated with separate active subs. They used 12-inch woofers, so they moved air but also did so quickly. And, the mids/tweets were configured in a D’Appolito array (I know, right?!). Super efficient, like 95db or something. A vintage muscle-car Pioneer receiver from, like, 1978, and the cops will quickly find your address.

Yet, when you caressed those D-7 CVs just right, they played easy, easy like Sunday morning.... ahem....ifyouknowhatimsayin’. Kidding aside, they imaged amazingly well when I bothered to pay that much attention to them.

May have missed it, but I didn't see any recommendations for Volti. ANY Volti is an excellent speaker for Rock. My Volti Razz sings with anything from classic rock to doom, sludge and death metal. 

If you are looking for a speaker that will make you jump from your seat and make you swoon with sweet jazz, Volti hits it every time. They are simply alive. 

From what I've heard, a great pairing with Pass amplification. 

I completely agree with Ralph, as it does not matter the music. Keep in mind, much recorded rock is highly compressed, ime. For me, SPLs and dynamics are what, imo, separates the men from the boys. The speakers should cater to the wants, needs and desires of the listener, and the room will play a huge part of this. My best! MrD,

Like mhwalker, I had the D-7's,bought in 1983 and exercised them regularly. They would ROCK, and on one  summer session with my late brother, with the windows open, , we had the cops called with B.O.C cranking. Cities on Flame, indeed! 

I own a pair of ESS AMT 3 Rock Monitors which I bought in the 70’s, I drive them with ARC equipment. I listen almost exclusively to hard rock and roll. They are in the process of being completely rebuilt at present. I have listened to many other systems throughout my 60 plus years of listening, and although other brands to my ears are good, the clarity, warmth and dynamics don’t compare. With today’s modern interconnects and speaker cables these monsters continue to improve. Personally, I think it was a shame the manufacturer didn’t continue on with a similar design. They seemed to go in a different direction. Oh well.