Changing my SS amp idea into low-voltage tubes ?!?

[Steben]

Oh boy oh boy. I can't fix my thoughts. First I planned to make a SS amp, which resulted in very nice ideas... for stompboxes. Indeed, all the triode FET's and sag circuitry is easily placed into a pedal and can tube up any cheap commercial SS.

But my amp is in bits and pieces? Of course: I want to build an amp! But why not low voltage tubes? "Sopht" amps intrigue me for years. I found nice push-pull schematics too for the 12K5 tubes (and 12U7).

But here it comes: I want to salvage that bloody transformer. As I told already it is symmetric 2 x 13.9V AC, or single supply 27.8V (Since it was used for two TDA2030's, I guess the current surely goes to over a safe 5A). Rectifying & filtering would lead us to above 2 x 18V or 36V, which is too much for these voltage tubes (may not exceed 30V). Can I use Zeners to bring it back to around 28V? the mid 14V should be ok for the heaters I guess (lower than 15V) and I could use it for the preamp too.

A solution for the speakers would be the following: use one 4ohm speaker for the little tube amp. You see, I'm thinking of parallel tapping off the speaker output (with "invisible" high impedance of course) into a second amp, built around a LM386 and the other 4ohm speaker. In this amp, there would be FX loop and driver for the reverb tank. This way I have a direct speaker and a buffer speaker, which can deliver the post FX. 14V into a LM386 could give 500mWatts, which is probably more than the tube amp itself, which is ok, since the LM386 should not clip.

[petemoore]

Can I use Zeners to bring it back to around 28V? the mid 14V should be ok for the heaters I guess (lower than 15V) and I could use it for the preamp too.
  There's other ways, zeners sure are easy and a little expensive, for dropping 'this voltage now' on a amp..why not...probably only a few buxx to get you there.