My new interface is on the way. Now I'm deciding whether it's worth the $30 in shipping to get my Alesis paperweight back.

My question has to do with whether gutting the i/o26 and using its preamps as standalone hardware is a.) possible / b.) practical.

I'm not the handiest with a soldering iron, nor do I have much technical know-how, but would the operation be as simple as removing a preamp and one of the balanced outs from the back and hardwiring the two?