Stand alone interface option= Bypass?

[Ribspare]

Hi and welcome!

I am considering getting the M Audio Profire 2626 interface to hook up with Mac Book laptop. I already have a tube preamp but not interested in using M Audio's internal preamp.

According to the description at the Sweetwater website:

"You can use your ProFire 2626 as a standalone eight-channel preamp, an eight-channel A/D-D/A converter, as well as a digital format converter. When in standalone mode, the eight analog inputs route to the ProFire 2626's frist eight ADAT optical output channels, making it easy to use line, instrument, and mic ins with other digital gear! By accepting optical ADAT input, the ProFire 2626 can route those eight channels to its eight analog outputs, providing D/A functionality as well. Adding even more flexibility, the ProFire 2626 can convert coaxial S/PDIF to optical S/PDIF"

So does that mean I can bypass the preamp section?

 

[Armistice]

I"m not the expert on these things, but in reading from the manufacturer's site rather than Sweetwater, I'm not getting that impression. There are normally ways to bypass a pre using an insert, but these beasts don't seem to have inserts.

Could be wrong though...