Mike,
This may sound a bit odd, but have you had your hearing tested properly recently ? I ask this because a reduction in high frequency can in some cases cause a similar iritation with certain frequencies, i have had a few elderly customers over the years, and one in paticular could not listen to digital at all for a very similar reason to what your experiencing, hence he only listend to vinyl, which for him was much more tolerable.
Hope this helps.
A...