Are all dBs created equal?

dBs are equal , it’s a measure of sound pressure. The better the sensitivity of the speaker the less power it takes.

Sorry I misread your question. If everything else is the same in your system I would say your new speakers might have a smiley face FR. What 2 speakers are we talking about? 

The Aria bass boost is pretty large and the have a fairly flat response up to about 15klz so I can see why you might need more SPL at a listening distance of 8ft or so. I have no idea about the Tyler but as I said they could have a nice smiley face frequency response which most people ( not all) would find fatiguing hence the reason for lower SPL. I would ask the builder for an anechoic FR on these things before buying but that’s me. I never purchase without knowing what EQ or room treatments I might need.

I don’t see how speaker sensitivity or efficiency accounts for what the OP is claiming. It was my first thought as well but I think what he is saying is measured at his listening position 80dB sounded right with the Focal and the Tyler 70dB sounds right. The only thing I can think of is the Tyler frequency response is tilted in the bass and treble hence what I call the smiley face FR which could cause the sound to be perceived "louder" at lower A weighted SLP. Anyway that’s my 2 cents.

Sensitivity and pressure level explains the speaker having different SPL levels at a certain distance but it doesn't explain why the OP sitting in his chair using an SPL meter plays one speaker at 80dB which is comfortable and the other is at 70dB. Which is why the only explanation I can think of is his perception of the speakers which might be due to different frequency responses.