The Harbeth's are a good enough speaker to easily decipher the difference between entry level and a $2,000 integrated. If he suggests otherwise, he is selling the speaker short.
This kind of comment reminds me: It's always a bit weird to me how many audiophiles seem to focus on how a speaker "resolves" different equipment rather than emphasizing how they resolve actual music. "Could EASILY hear the difference between all my cables" king of stuff. Uh. Great. I'll listen to music, thanks very much.