Lejonklou Tjärn | Digitale Streamer & DAC

The little sister of Källa — digital streaming, distilled

The Lejonklou Tjärn was conceived as a more accessible, more distilled counterpart to the Källa. Not a compromise, but a deliberate reduction.

Priced at roughly 60% of the Källa, Tjärn retains the same musical priorities while stripping the concept down to its essentials. It is a digital streamer and DAC for listeners who want Lejonklou’s musical integrity in its most straightforward form.

At Authentic High End, we see Tjärn as the most honest expression of Lejonklou’s belief that complexity should only exist when it audibly improves the music.

Tjärn and Källa: Same Thinking, Different Scale

Functionally, Tjärn works much like the Källa — but it goes even further in simplification.

There is no web interface and nothing to configure. Setup is intentionally minimal:
connect the supplied Ethernet cable to your network, the power cord to your system, and analogue interconnects to your amplifier. Switch it on, and after about 20 seconds Tjärn appears as an output device on your Apple equipment.

The question behind Tjärn was not how much can we add, but rather:
how much can we remove while keeping the music intact?

Streaming Architecture: Built and Voiced by Ear

At the heart of Tjärn is a streaming platform based on the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 — but with a crucial difference: each compute module is individually selected by ear.

The Ethernet physical layer is designed and built in-house by Lejonklou. Every part in that circuit was chosen through listening, not convenience or datasheets, with the sole aim of preserving musical flow and natural timing.

Tjärn communicates using a new in-house protocol, Protokoll 2, developed to improve stability, timing and coherence throughout the digital chain.

DAC Integration: Digital That Doesn’t Sound Digital

The DAC stage in Tjärn is based on a 24-bit AKM chip, closely related to the one used in Källa. However, it has been adapted specifically to work with Tjärn’s new streaming engine.

These adaptations reinforced a core Lejonklou conviction:

a DAC cannot be treated as a standalone block — it must be tightly integrated with the digital processes feeding it.

When that integration is right, the music flows effortlessly and loses the brittle, mechanical quality often associated with digital playback.

Power Supply: Simpler, Smarter

Compared to Källa, Tjärn uses a less elaborate power supply and regulation stage. This is not a downgrade, but a strategic choice.

All regulation components are individually pre-measured and selected, removing the need for extensive manual fine-tuning. Where a Källa can require up to three days of final tuning, Tjärn achieves consistency through careful design and repeatable processes.

The result is a product that is easier to build, more predictable to finalise, and still fully aligned with Lejonklou’s musical standards.

Built in Sweden, Controlled In-House

Each Lejonklou Tjärn is built and tested in-house in Lejonklou’s lab in Uppsala, Sweden.

Over the past year, Lejonklou has brought as many production steps as possible under direct control, increasing consistency and quality.
Exceptions are limited to:

• the enclosures

• machine soldering of circuit boards (done to Lejonklou specifications by two Swedish partners)

• printed circuit boards manufactured in Germany to the same standards used for Källa and Tundra Mono 3

This balance ensures precision without losing control over what matters most.

Listening Experience

Tjärn does not try to impress with immediacy or fireworks.

Instead, it presents music with calm authority. Timing feels stable, phrasing makes sense, and performances hold together naturally. Compared to Källa, the presentation is slightly more compact and intimate, but unmistakably Lejonklou in character.

It is a streamer you stop noticing — because the music takes over.

Why We Selected Tjärn at Authentic High End

Not every system needs a digital flagship.

Tjärn earns its place by offering the essence of Lejonklou’s digital philosophy in a form that fits more systems, more rooms, and more listening habits. It is ideal in vinyl-led systems, integrated amplifier setups, or anywhere digital playback should feel natural rather than dominant.

In our Brussels listening rooms, Tjärn proves that restraint, when executed with precision, is a virtue.

Technical Overview

• Product type: Network streamer with integrated DAC

• Positioning: Compact sister model to Källa (~60% of the price)

• Streaming platform: Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 (individually selected)

• Protocol: Protokoll 2

• DAC: 24-bit AKM, adapted for Tjärn architecture

• Network: Ethernet (RJ45)

• Outputs: Analogue RCA

• Control: Appears as an output device on Apple systems (AirPlay)

• Build: Hand-built and tested in Uppsala, Sweden

Who Is the Tjärn For?

The Lejonklou Tjärn is ideal for listeners who:

• Want Lejonklou’s musical integrity at a more accessible level

• Prefer simplicity over interfaces and settings

• Value timing, coherence and natural flow

• Believe digital should serve the music — not announce itself

• Live by the principle: if it sounds better, it is better

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