Rock? money down the drain?

I have, and it's worth it. As with every kind of music not all recordings are the best.

I feel the same about people who listen to country rooted music. Iwoudn't be worth it to me but it's all subjective.

Rock is a category that streches wide and deep. Many consider Steely Dan, Elton John, Fleetwood Mac, Al Stewart, Peter Gabriel, Blue Rodeo, etc. rock. I listen to all of this and more, including headbanging stuff when the mood strikes me. A good rig makes quite a difference in enjoying the music, whether it be rock, jazz, blues, classical, or anything else you may enjoy. Rock may not be your preferred gendre of music, but that doesn't mean there isn't subtle nuances that make a difference to those of us that do enjoy various flavours of rock. A chacune sons gouts...

The ability to reproduce deep, controlled bass at high volumes is one of the most difficult and expensive challenges for a state of the art audio system. A genuinely great "rock" system is far better than any 5 wpc, single ended triode, Shakti stone and Shun Mook covered, voodoo wimp system. Culturally and intellectually pretentious "audiophiles" will try to tell you otherwise, but that's what happens to one's IQ when you listen to Pachebel's Canon too many times.