Many thanks to everybody for their comments. John, the choice of a small speaker is purely because of aesthetics; I don't like the speakers to stand out in the family room where they will be housed.

Will a Yamaha receiver from some years ago (I think I have one of the HTR-5000 series, maybe the 5560 or 5590) be good enough?

What other speakers in the same price range (or lower?) would be (may be) comparable to the M3s?