Acoustic panels are designed to absorb sound and cut down on reflections and other room induced problems. There are also what's called bass traps which help absorb bass frequencies. These help smoothing out an uneven bass response.
Room acoustics have the most dramatic effect on the sound you hear along with the speakers. Here is a company that produces such devices. There is alot of great info on the site. Maybe with some room treatments you will get the sound from the Ruarks you are looking for. It could be your room that is causing the problems your hearing. Can you post some pictures of your set up ?
I spent roughly 300.00 on room treatments a few years back and it was the best money I ever spent.
Hope this helps. Check out the room acoustics forum here. Posting some pics will get you some suggestions on how to deal with your room.
http://auralex.com/
