Cary SLI80 as just a preamp?

This is the Tech Talk forum, not the “Most Logical”. I was only wondering if I pulled out the power tubes, would it still work as a preamp, and not wear out the power tubes? Thank you Captains Obvious for suggesting I use a real preamp.

Ok, ok... I’m not that technical to even tell you what is inside the thing, even if I did remove the cover. It was a thought experiment. I would never even try this without lots of members saying no problem. I was hoping more technically minded members would know this answer. I just thought if the power tubes were removed, then it could work as just a preamp to send signal to a different amp without all the heat and wear on the tubes. Thank you Decooney for thinking about this.