I even have them close to a wall so I expected to be working against it being overpowering.
Is there something else I am possibly doing wrong or are my expectations for these speakers just off?
Several things to ponder...
1. Cabinet size 2. Sensitivity 3. Bass extension/impact....pick 2 (can’t have all 3)
Further, you are most probably sitting right on top of a couple of modal nulls (especially widthwise). So, even if it produced some bass, you didn't hear it. Get a subwoofer... if correctly placed/integrated, it will fix the nulls and provide the bass extension/impact that the speaker sacrificed for sensitivity and a non-refrigerator sized higher WAF cabinet.
P.S. Older multichannel receivers never have the poweramp sections for good bass. There is also a chance that a failing dcomponent can kill the bass.
The following is a legit thing that can happen in aging amps/receivers. It will appear to work fine otherwise.