Feeling that speaker's low bass getting stuck in one's ear

Question

(The feeling is is subjective, but it is very hard to describe technically.) I have a speaker with very strong bass, which is fine, but when I play music with it, even in extremely low volume, it feels as if something gets stuck in my ear, and it is hard to tolerate. It causes headache.

In a real concert (classical or pop or whatever), the sound could be 10 times louder, without any discomfort.

I presume this speaker is designed for people who prefer that (is that heavy-metal??) feeling.

I am trying to understand what's going on here. Questions:

1. How does a speaker manage to create such an impact, making your head resonate, at a low volume?
2. Adjusting the balance of high and low frequencies doe not help at all. I need to make the bass barely audible to alleviate the discomfort. That's strange. What is going on?
3. Obviously, the answer to "how to improve this" is "to buy a new speaker". Are there any other ways to change this?

To clarify, I have emphasized that other speakers and concerts are fine. So I don’t think we should consider other factors such as the room.

Answer 1

Sometimes a small speaker achieves the impression of extended bass response by engineering a strong resonance at just one low frequency (yes, I'm looking at you, Bose). You get bass, but it's always the same note! Perhaps this is what's happening.

But if one frequency, even at low volume, is causing real discomfort, I think you need to see a doctor. Also, of course, stop using that speaker!

Answer 2

In small spaces, room resonances can cause your left and right ear to hear the bass with very different levels or phases, creating a wildly unnatural sound. I can't say for sure that this is what you are experiencing, but it seems like a possibility. You can verify this by moving around the room and seeing if the effect changes.