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Different sensitivity speakers in HT

Hi. I have Thiel CS1.5s up front and Thiel SCSs all around. The 1.5s are 86db and the SCSs are 87db. The SCSs are clearly louder than the 1.5s when I play the same thing through all the speakers. My preamp has adjustments for the center and surrounds which I've mostly gotten to my liking. I'm wondering if there is a specific formula I should be using to set the level for the different sensitivities. The preamp adjusts in 1db increments but just lowering 1db on the SCSs still keeps them too loud. Recommendations? Thanks. leo.
leoturetsky

Showing 1 response by sean

sean
6,231 posts
 
There is more to sensitivity ratings than one might think. While the SPL is somewhat averaged, a speaker that remains consistent across the band but has a slight (1.5 db) rise between 1 KHz and 3 KHz will sound noticeably louder than a speaker with a slight dip there and an equivalent plateau(s) somewhere else. As such, you might be hearing more of a difference in tonal balance than you are of ultimate sensitivity.

I would assume that you are using both an SPL meter and have experimented with various speaker placements ??? Speaker sensitivity and tonal balance are both GREATLY affected by placement and room acoustics. Sean
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