Transients hurting my ears on hifi solid state amps

Suggest adding the Sugden A21SE to your list of class A amps. It is well reviewed everywhere and very available for audition in Europe. Also cheaper than othe options.

I am very sensitive to sharpness as well, and although finally I went with luxman (more neutral) the Sugden was on my list.

Based upon Duckworp's post, have you scheduled an appointment with an audiologist/ENT?  All the suggested equipment fixes are nonsense if you don't address the root cause of your problem!

I thought that @duckworp post was veery good, and something that I had a similar reason to visit an audiologist for once.
But the fact that the OP said that three of the amps they mentioned were fine, that sort of runs counter to it being the OP’s ears. 

Based upon Duckworp's post, have you scheduled an appointment with an audiologist/ENT?  All the suggested equipment fixes are nonsense if you don't address the root cause of your problem!

I didn't indeed react to that part in detail. I have been to an ENT and although he could see that subjectively I was sensitive to loud noises, there was nothing physiologically wrong and nothing that could be done from a medical point of view. I've been more sensitive than average for as long as I can remember, feeling the need for earplugs when others didn't, struggling with headphone listening, etc. I play instruments and have been in bands. As said, listening on a speaker system, I never had this issue before going to higher end models and my theory was that the higher precision and faster transients translate to a higher perceived air pressure.

Suggest adding the Sugden A21SE to your list of class A amps.

Thanks, added!

 ...purchase of a used Luxman L-505uxii.  It really mitigated the problem and is a fantastic match with my speakers.  I had Herron pre and Pass XA-25 power (tube pre, class A power) and I do miss the smoothness in some backing vocals.  Overall a very smooth, engaging, dynamic, and powerful presentation though...

Thanks, that sounds like a similar case to mine indeed. There is a 505 for a similar price than you paid in Germany currently, which could be an option. The 509 is very tempting and seems like a big step up, but too much over by budget, even used. Looking at the reviews of the 505, the smoothness doesn't get a lot of mention, rather the precision, quickness and power. I worry that it might not be smooth enough in terms of what I'm worried about regarding these fast transient and air pressure. However, if this is rather an issue of frequencies, harmonic distortion as several have mentioned, or glare as you put it, perhaps I'm looking at the problem wrong.

I do have a feeling that part of what works for me in tube amps is that they are usually described as "slower" and that slight smoothing of transients agrees better with my ears, in addition to the smoother presentation. So I fear that powerful solid state amps could be an issue, therefore the lower powered class A amps feel like a safer choice. But again, perhaps this is a wrong diagnosis from my part.

@wlutke Can you described a little more in detail the difference in sound compared to the Pass Labs, especially regarding the aspects I mention?

haskisoundi,

The thing I focus on regarding Luxman is the absence of ear fatigue. The offending frequencies are benign and unoffensive yet the speed and pace are outstanding.  It's been awhile since I've lost track of time, playing for hours with my attention on other things.  I experienced that with the 505.  The Pass never passed (Ha!) that test.  To be fair, the Pass at 50Wpc class A, 80 class B, did not wake up the woofers in my 90dB speakers at all (Acoustic Zen Crescendo II).  A sub, though very helpful, did not pick up the pace like the Luxman. The musicality and engagement of the 505 is undeniable yet there is some grain and loss of micro detail in comparison to the Pass.