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Garmin 2820 Vs Zumo 550

8K views 9 replies 8 participants last post by  GMack 
#1 ·
I have a garmin 2820 and the part of casing that holds the mount just broke so I must replace the unit. I can get a 2820 or zumo 550 for no charge. Will I miss anything (features) from going to the zumo? Is the Zumo a dumbed down version of the 2820?

Thanks
 
#2 ·
The answer comes down to personal choice more than anything. The 2820 has a higher screen resolution than the Zumo and allows more waypoints to be entered (2000 vs 500). I have never needed over 200 waypoints, so either works for me. The Zumo will run on batteries in addition to bike power, his the new receiver for imporved reception, and is fuel resistant. Both allow buletooth connections, XM Radio Reception and Weather Reception. There are a few other differences that, if you want that particular feature, might make the choice obvious.

I've used both and prefer the Zumo, mainly because of the battery power. I think you'd be happy with either one.
 
#3 ·
Easy answer.

Zumo for battery (you can do routes in motel room), far better sensitivity, faster acquisition time, operates much as a hard-drive in Windows.

You won't notice that much screen difference rez while riding.

It does have some issues like the rotting rubber of the cradle cover and some connection issues between it and the cradle. Garmin has been very good at addressing them.
 
#4 ·
I can't compare the two, but I can say that the Zumo 550 does just about everything I want it to do. The only issue I have so far is that you must use an audio cable to use the XM Radio. Everything else will come through on the BT.
I did use it to go to Florida this year and it worked great. Always got to where I wanted to be. Pairs up well with my Nolan N-Com Helmet and my Blackberry Curve! I love having the weather available during a ride.
 
#6 ·
mrlajoie said:
I can't compare the two, but I can say that the Zumo 550 does just about everything I want it to do. The only issue I have so far is that you must use an audio cable to use the XM Radio. Everything else will come through on the BT.
I did use it to go to Florida this year and it worked great. Always got to where I wanted to be. Pairs up well with my Nolan N-Com Helmet and my Blackberry Curve! I love having the weather available during a ride.

Just one observation on the BT capability. You can get XM over BT, and another benefit is getting mp3, gps and XM in stereo. I use a Camos BTS200 headset in helmet which is BT A2DP capable (BT stereo) and can pair with 2 devices on one channel, and still pair with another headset for intercom. It requires a BT dongle, I used WiRevo D1000 ($69.95).

Procedure:
Pair the Zumo with the headset, first pairing.
Menu>BT>Audio>Phone Only So telephone audio is sent to headset in mono on channel 1
Turn off Zumo.
Pair WiREvo dongle with headset on channel 1, second pairing.
Plug Dongle into Zumo audio out. I actually plugged in a stereo audio extension cable so I could keep the tiny dongle in my tank bag, safe.
Turn on bike ignition so the Zumo bike cradle audio is active.
Enjoy Stereo music (XM and MP3) and GPS. Volume will semm louder too. GPS commands are clear too.

You can now pair your BT capable phone with the Zumo as usual.

You can now pair the Camos headset with another for your passenger for intercom function.
 
#7 ·
I have both, 2820 and zumo. The 2820 is better. Only draw back is smaller screen. But is has better internal software which makes it much better for me. I have two 550's both broke while my one and only 2820 is older and still keeps going.
 
#8 ·
It has always surprised me at how concerned people are with the audio quality of the music they listen to while they ride. Whether they are listening to Bach, Sugar Land or 3 Doors Down they go to great lengths to improve the quality by some means. In truth we are lucky to have tech that allows us to hear it at all. Mp3's are down-sampled from a much higher (44k Stereo) source down to about half of that in most cases. Even satellite radio is down-sampled to some extent. Then they introduce BT and any 'radio' interference that is introduced by that technology cruise down the interstate at speeds that range from a modest 55 mph up to 80 mph (legal limits) which introduces even more noise to the environment.
Just an observation... or a rant... you decide. :confused:
 
#9 ·
mrlajoie said:
It has always surprised me at how concerned people are with the audio quality of the music they listen to while they ride. Whether they are listening to Bach, Sugar Land or 3 Doors Down they go to great lengths to improve the quality by some means. In truth we are lucky to have tech that allows us to hear it at all. Mp3's are down-sampled from a much higher (44k Stereo) source down to about half of that in most cases. Even satellite radio is down-sampled to some extent. Then they introduce BT and any 'radio' interference that is introduced by that technology cruise down the interstate at speeds that range from a modest 55 mph up to 80 mph (legal limits) which introduces even more noise to the environment.
Just an observation... or a rant... you decide. :confused:
I think BMW riders find their bikes so easy to ride with cruise, collision avoidance and steering linked up to satnav, that little or no concentration is needed to avoid getting killed (!) The music quality then takes on a higher position in the wish list. I make an exception for pillions who aren't quite getting the same thrills as the rider.

Mp3's are ok at around 196 kb/s stereo, but once you play them over a wireless link forget quality. Anyway, if you were really after audio quality you'ld be wearing a headset with at least 80dB rejection of extraneous noise. In which case, you'd never hear that warning horn and be so immersed you might as well be riding smashed out on some pills or too many beers.



 
#10 ·
voxmagna said:
....
Mp3's are ok at around 196 kb/s stereo, but once you play them over a wireless link forget quality. Anyway, if you were really after audio quality you'ld be wearing a headset with at least 80dB rejection of extraneous noise. In which case, you'd never hear that warning horn and be so immersed you might as well be riding smashed out on some pills or too many beers.
By the time you hear "a horn" the dance has already ended. Often too late and not much you can do about it anyway.

True about the 196 kb/s stuff and wireless, which I agree with which sucks with chargers and batteries that die mid-trip or deal with re-pairing them back up on the fly. Motorcycle Bluetooth is sheer agony, imho, and needs a whole lot more before I'd go back to dealing with it over hard-wire (which made Bluetooth redundant when I had to carry the wire anyway when the damn thing died or acted up). After you pull off the freeway 2-3 times for wireless issues you begin to wonder if the Bluetooth is really "It." In a car you can - or someone else can - deal with the link-up or battery issues. Not so easy to do on a bike.

I suspect the top of the line audio on a bike is the Ultimate Ears UE-11's along with a Ray Samuel's Mustang P-51 or Tomahawk headphone amp to drive their 4 drivers per ear (two bass, mid, high) for a true flat response. Extraneous wind noise is attenuated to about 30dB and you can listen to the music at a far lower level without your ears ringing at the end of a 5-8 hour ride. A big plus I found, is the volume "KNOB" on the Ray Samuel's amps which allows for faster and more intuitive volume adjustments with gloves than the damn Zumo's "Press multiple buttons for a volume change and bar graph" concept. Even the Mix-It is a better way to go if on the handlebars. Garmin needs to add a knob on the left side of the Zumo and ditch the button/screen thing as it requires too much eye-off-the-road work to operate.

The Zumo's MP3 audio sort of sucks in audio quality, imo, over almost any stand-alone MP3 player like a Sony, iRiver, or iPod that has some sort of equalizer, balance, separation, effects, etc. built into them. The Garmin XM Radio addition really shows how poor it is with the XM/Sirus compression when heard with good phones or a musician's in-ear monitors.


Mack
 
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