Does carpet deaden the sound too much?

A lot of dependencies here.  If you want to experiment, get yourself a couple of sheets of 4x8 ABX plywood, and place underneath and in front of your speakers.  Do you like the difference in the sound?  A lot quicker and cheaper than tearing out your carpeting for wood or other hard surface flooring!

I have found that in general, the bigger the room, the less sound treatment it likely needs it. No idea what speakers etc you're running but as said previously, make sure the speakers them sit firmly on the bare floor or w/ spikes going through the carpeting. Then maybe try spacing the speakers further apart & then toeing in them  even up to a 45 degree angle. Also, try slightly angling up the speakers and inch or so in the front so the midrange & tweeters are more directly facing your your head.

Also, completely differently, try disconnecting all cabling & cleaning the cable ends & whatever socket or connecter they go into & replacing them. 

I have bottom ported OHM Walsh 4's sitting on carpet in a well damped room.  End result is accurate but not very dynamic sound.  

When speakers are placed on 16"X16" acrylic bases the sound changes dramatically; dynamic sound and considerable more bass, mid-bass not as accurate with minor coloration in male and female voices.

However, the overall satisfaction level is greater with the speakers on a solid base but I do need to tweak that mid-bass

Are these floor standers or book shelf on stands?

no.  but coming from another direction is your system less lively with every source or just vinyl if you have it?  

it is quite feasible to have a super dynamic, lively system even with carpeting and acoustic panels which improve the sound in other ways.  

i would look to your system- source, amplification vs speaker electrical match and room size, etc.