SX 850 as preamp

[Cajunchuck]

I hope I don't get too much flack for asking this. My 850 is beautiful and I love it but I feel my speakers need just a little more juice to really bring out their full potential. They're Wharfedale Diamond 10.1's. They really sound great to me but I can tell the amp is straining to reach high volumes with them. Would I be insane to consider using the pre outs to drive a seperate power amp? I'm on a budget so I'm considering the Emotiva A-300 (150 WPC). I see the pre-outs on the 850 spec 1 volt whereas the input sensitivity on the Emotiva specs 1.2 volts to reach rated power. Any advice for me would be greatly appreciated. Don't want to make an expensive (to me) mistake.

 

[jeffpaletz]

What you suggest is reasonable. Your speakers are probably inefficient so more power would be a good solution.

 

[Cajunchuck]

Yes they really are inefficient at 86 db/watt but I can't believe the bass they make for being so small. Another crazy thought just occurred to me. Since the speakers are bi-amp capable, could I use the 850 to drive the tweeters and the power amp for the lows? Just thinking...
I already have the Y-cables I would need but would I need a sort of crossover or level control? Pardon my ignorance but I'm new at all this and learning a lot from you guys.