2 Channel system sounds weak and lackluster

I would get a large rug for the floor and try the speakers on the long wall.  

I once lived in a rental house while we were looking for something permanent.  The living room was small and rectangular.  I put the speakers on the short wall and it sounded awful. I didn't listen to music much in that house. That might not be your problem , but it's worth a try. 

Agree if not sure, definitely play around with the setup first before changing anything.

Do you have Roon?   Any other DSP at your disposal?  That's a good weapon for bad acoustics, but get the room conditioned and setup as best possible always first.

Thanks for all the replies. I knew room treatment was important but I didn't realize it would cause the sound to be so off. I have moved in and out, side to side, toed in and out and while I notice differences, that never seems to lift the veil so to speak. I'll rearrange the room tonight and see if the long wall helps at all.

When using all of the components in previous apartments I never had issues but they have never all been in a dedicated room this size. I will try and buy a rug or something first and try the cushion techniques but replacing components are way out of my budget at the moment. 

Other replies: Yes, the sound is equally off with vinyl or CD. The directstream has been some of the most revealing audio I've heard in my personal system but at another apartment using the wharfedales and a smaller amp. The ARC has been used before with the Focal and Rega with fantastic results as well. Not to say it isn't a possible bottleneck but it would be a new development. I will definitely re-check all my connections to make sure the phase isn't messed up somewhere but I'm fairly confident its setup right.

One other thing to note: I'm located in Alaska, so buying things might be possible but shipping is a bear and there are no local stores to really try or experiment with

Are you a hunter?  A bear skin rug might be just what you need.  :)