Listening to Real vs. Artificial Sounds — Why Ears Get Aggravated by the Latter?

[GBB]

Why can I sleep outside with cicadas and crickets and this lulls me to sleep but a recording of the exact same audio makes my ears feel full and irritated?

I feel like if I understood this I would be so much better off. I try to sleep with masking noise but it irritates my ears, even if it is the exact same noise that does nothing bad when I camp...

 

[UKBloke]

Why can I sleep outside with cicadas and crickets and this lulls me to sleep but a recording of the exact same audio makes my ears feel full and irritated?

I feel like if I understood this I would be so much better off. I try to sleep with masking noise but it irritates my ears, even if it is the exact same noise that does nothing bad when I camp...

It might be something as simple as the quality of speakers you're using. Perhaps try listening through something else?