I was thinking the same thing: using the pre-out of my 300 SE. I tried this with a BAT VK 220 w/BAT PACK. Although the 300 SE touts a 150 wpc with the BAT PACK and the 220 has 125 wpc with BAT PACK, the 220 was noticeably less powerful; the 25 wpc difference sounded more like a 50 wpc difference and lacked not only power but also a little of the spice and tube pizzazz of the 300 SE. I didnt realize how good the 300 SE was until I made this comparison. And not only is the 300 SE an integrated amp, but it is not even dual mono. I attribute the robust dynamics of the 300X SE to modern technological wizardry. That said, it seems to be a stand-alone animal, not designed to use the pre-out as a step up, but rather, simply versatility.