Peter, as some of the other replies have indicated, what you describe is exactly the way things should be. The auto-calibration has set the VP-160 at the correct level to blend with the other speakers. If a speaker(or sub)stands out as a separate entity, it hasn't been calibrated correctly and it's too loud.
Sounds good. I'm sure once I get used to it, it's going to be great.
I do love Audyssey. My room acoustics are absolutely horrendous and so I need a lot of correction. However, I HATE Audyssey for 2-channel music listening.