Zumo 660 Phone sound quality really poor

[Bumpkin]

Aren't you supposed to be on holiday

 

[Bumpkin]

Was just on the Chainspeed website and found this useful page that explains setting up split audio between hard-wire and Bluetooth connections.

Not sure if the 30% drop in volume mentioned has been sorted in the firmware since

 

[Wiz]

After a huge amount of research and trailing, we have the problem and I'm afraid it's not good news; the phone call quality through the Zumo 660 is simply terrible for the person the rider is speaking to.

We eventually got a Autocom/Bluetooth rig set up with the Zumo 550; the phone quality was awesome, even at motorway speeds the person receiving the call couldn't tell the caller was on a bike. We changed the Nav unit to a 660, swapping nothing else, and the quality was terrible. For the biker the sound was fine, but for the person on the other end the call quality was so bad that they couldn't understand the person speaking. Even when removing the Autocom Bluetooth dongle and wiring the 660 in via the Autocom isolated, dedicated Zumo cable, the quality was terrible, so this isn't just an Autocom Bluetooth connection problem, it's the way the Zumo 660 connects to the phone itself that seems to be causing very poor microphone quality.

I have since seen some info on the net suggesting that the Zumo 660 doesn't shut off the external mic properly even when connected via Bluetooth. This could indeed be the cause but I don't have it verified, all I know is that using a phone via the 660 isn't an option if you want the other person to be able to hear you.

So if you use a 660, there may be no option other than to pair the phone direct to the Autocom dongle rather than via the Zumo, which is a PITA especially if you have an iPhone which doesn't work with gloves and can't be set to auto-answer

As an aside, we did discover that Autocom had a batch of SPAs with poor 3.5mm sockets on them, which don't make a good connection. If you find your unit crackling badly when you move one of the input jacks, take it back to Autocom and they'll swap the board for you.

As for me, I'm seriously considering going back to a 550

HTH

 

[Schtum]

I have since seen some info on the net suggesting that the Zump 660 doesn't shut off the external mic properly even when connected via Bluetooth. This could indeed be the cause but I don't have it verified, all I know is that using a phone via the 660 isn't an option if you want the other person to be able to hear you.

I manage to use my Nav IV in the car connected to my iPhone and can just about manage to make myself understood to the other party most of the time. So I'm drawn towards thinking that it's the connection between the Zumo and the headset that's the issue. Although, having said that, I can manage a conversation on the bike, at town speeds with my cheap, Chinese, Bluetooth helmet set.

ISTR reading somewhere that Garmin previously used a Parrot chip for Bluetooth and have moved over to a Motorola one which isn't a patch on the Parrot.

 

[Wiz]

Not sure if the 30% drop in volume mentioned has been sorted in the firmware since

This isn't a software bug Chas, it's because the wire has a ground loop isolator in it to prevent electrical noise. This is essentially two coils in close proximity to each other (like a 1:1 transformer) and the signal passes over them through induction, however it results in a volume reduction.

You could try a straight 3.5 to 3.5 mm non-isolated lead, you don't always get electrical noise and there would be no volume drop then, but mostly you'll find you do and so that isn't an option.

HTH

 

[Wiz]

I manage to use my Nav IV in the car connected to my iPhone and can just about manage to make myself understood to the other party most of the time. So I'm drawn towards thinking that it's the connection between the Zumo and the headset that's the issue.

If you can only just make yourself understood Mike, that would suggest that it's a problem with between the iPhone and Zumo/Nav still. On my 550 using the car cradle, the hands-free function was as good as any car kit and the other party could hear me fine so I'd expect the 660 to be as good

 

[Schtum]

If you can only just make yourself understood Mike, that would suggest that it's a problem with between the iPhone and Zumo/Nav still. On my 550 using the car cradle, the hands-free function was as good as any car kit and the other party could hear me fine so I'd expect the 660 to be as good

I remember talking to you on the phone while you were riding around the Highlands and you're quite right, you couldn't tell you were moving at all, let alone on the bike.

I'm not sure it is a phone / Zumo issue. I've reverted to just using the Nav IV on its own recently since I de-cluttered the instide of my car. However, I'm fairly sure that if I re-installed the Garmin mic, I'd be understood more clearly by another party. However, even then the quality isn't as good as it is with our Nuvi 760 and 770. They also provide a more powerful audio output out of the 3.5mm jack. So much so, that I can happily drive a pair of small passive speakers from them, whereas, I need to use an amplified one with the Nav IV to get a decent volume on calls, although that works well for voice navigation.