I think he is simply mistaken. When I heard the Minuet demo'd at HE2007 in NYC, they were fed with not just a receiver, but an old Phillips receiver that Alan Yun (of Silverline Audio) had found at a garage sale. Couldn't have been good for more than 30 watts/channel. The sound was nevertheless impressive. One review I read (not sure where) suggested the Minuets be paired with the Outlaw stereo receiver for a high-value entry level hifi system. HK makes, IMO, a solid receiver with decent amplifier capabilities. I would be surprised if the Minuets didn't work well with your HK.
Silverline Minuet Speakers and Receivers or Amps
I recently read a review of the Minuets where the reviewer felt that the Minuets "did not like receivers". I am not all that informed on the subject of audiofidelity and was wondering how a speaker might differentiate between the power source in a receiver versus the power source of an amplifier and how that would impact the sound quality. The reason I ask is that I am trying to chase down a pair of Minuets to use with my Harman Kardon HK 3490 receiver. Any insight would be most appreciated.