Can vastly different speakers for Front and Rears throw off calibration (1 Viewer)

[Jason Bell]

I'm starting not to trust my calibrations. I've got M22s in front which have the 5.25 mids and 1" titanium tweeters. For the rears I have some Technics floorstanders which have 2" tweeters and 4" mids 12" woofs. My question is after the calibration movies with subtle soundtracks sounded really good while movies with more action like Matrix and Phantom Menace the rears felt overpowering to the point of distracting me from the movie and I had to lower the rears like 4db to make it feel to me like they were blending perfect. Can pink noise generated from way different speakers give the same SPLs but sound too loud in actual use? I used the Sound and Vision Tune up disc with the Radioshack meter(slow C weighting on tripod pointed straight up at my listening position). Is this a placement issue? I wouldnt think that would matter since I'm using a meter and not my own perception. Anyone else notice any of these things?

 

[Phil Iturralde]

...I had to lower the rears like 4db to make it feel to me like they were blending perfect.

With different MFG'd speakers, this is probably the correct procedure. Your final setting should be based on your listening experience, in your room.
Phil

 

[Jason Bell]

Thanks for the fast reply Phil. I ended up using that scene in Matrix where Neo meets Trinity at the club. It seems to me that the background club music should be about equal from all four speakers to give you that club ambience. At first it was noticeably louder from the back so I just kept backing off the surrounds till the music was enveloping me. This worked really well even if not exactly scientific. I went back and watched the Pod Race in Phantom Menace and the experience was way better. Now I just need to go back and see if I am missing any subtle effects like birds, wind, crickets etc. in subtler soundtracks. I cant wait till I get this setup to where I'm happy, I'm starting to tweak during movies instead of watching them.

 

[Jason Bell]

BTW, I'm gonna try your way of placing my SPL meter see if it makes a difference on my final numbers compared to the way I was doing it. Thanks again.

 

[Phil Iturralde]

No problem Jason.

... SPL meter see if it makes a difference on my final numbers compared to the way I was doing it.

Won't hurt!
Phil