Stereo Tool

I'm looking for some help please.
I'm using v10.30 of Stereo Tool on Linux and on various presets there's something in it that hurts my ears.
I've made a preset (a modified version of Eleven Heaven Encore) which I like the sound of, but it feels like there's pressure on my ears and they are left ringing afterwards. I'm not listening at a loud volume but at normal radio listening volume.

Even with Bojcha's excellent StudioONE preset I hear the issue. I'm sure people are using this preset in the real world without this issue, so what am I doing wrong? Anyone know of a stream using StudioONE I can listen to?

I'm listening normally on floor standing hi-fi speakers but I've also heard it in the car when testing there.
I've tried a different soundcard to rule that out.

I've tried adjusting the CPU settings with some improvement, but it's still an issue and no way I could use it on air.

Any thoughts please?

Interesting. There are many factors to sound that could cause fatigue. From compression ratios/speeds, to the amount of punch, to bass distribution, etc.

For me, I find too much sub-bass gives me a specific type of headache. If this is the cause, try messing with True Bass or the Sub Bass Synthesis slider on the main page to reduce the effect.

Also, is Natural Dynamics on? This is an expander that causes extra punch that doesn't always feel great, depending on the settings.

Thanks for the reply.
It seems to be an issue with multiple presets. Yesterday, after posting here, I downloaded the preset in this thread https://forums.stereotool.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=34540
which is light on bass, but still has the issue.

I see someone started a thread in March this year describing exactly the same issue. You were helping them too. I wonder if they found a solution?

I am using the Linux version where I suspect 99% of users are using Windows. Maybe I should compare in case something is wrong in the Linux version.

Did you check FM calibration? Might be not preset. In those your files i hear bad phase, especially on bass, masking everything else, wich me personally is not fan.
But if you think it's to the preset, then try QuadBender (it's in BuiltIn), wich is most open preset with minimal compression. It's easy to adjust too, if needed.

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