why do my AR9's sound so lousy?

I recently picked up a pair of AR9 LS speakers in good original shape. I refoamed the 8" midrange and the 12" woofers and replaced the 10" woofers with direct fit replacements. Tweeters are original. I put them all back together, hooked them up.... and.... they sound lousy! All drivers are working (putting out sound) but the quality of the sound is very dull and lifeless. For example I have a pair of tiny AR18B's hooked up on the B channel of the same system and they sound 10 times better than the AR9's. Something must not be right here. Nothing is buzzing or rattling or sounds broken, they just sound like a cheap crappy pair of speakers. No treble detail, bass is not that impressive, overall sound kind of harsh but dull and muddy.