You created 2 threads about the same speakers?! Might make the discussion difficult to follow.
I own a pair of Classic ESL 9. Yes, they can rock - as you said, BIG sound and, at least in my room, weighty, satisfying low end. They also like to be cranked up. But as you know, the sound depends a lot on the room and amplifier, especially for big dipoles like these. Oh, and not to forget the recording, hugely important. Older, not so great recorded rock like Deep purple for example sound OK, but nothing too impressive. At the opposite of the spectrum - nothing to do with rock or hip hop but to give you an idea of their ability to play something dynamic with clean and punchy percussion - something like the album "Asian Roots" by TakeDake & John Kaizan Neptune sounds mesmerizing.
I own a pair of Classic ESL 9. Yes, they can rock - as you said, BIG sound and, at least in my room, weighty, satisfying low end. They also like to be cranked up. But as you know, the sound depends a lot on the room and amplifier, especially for big dipoles like these. Oh, and not to forget the recording, hugely important. Older, not so great recorded rock like Deep purple for example sound OK, but nothing too impressive. At the opposite of the spectrum - nothing to do with rock or hip hop but to give you an idea of their ability to play something dynamic with clean and punchy percussion - something like the album "Asian Roots" by TakeDake & John Kaizan Neptune sounds mesmerizing.