Electronics tend to make life more enjoyable. Thanks to the
various options, you can enjoy your music everywhere you go. Even recreation
vehicles, like a side by side, have stereo options. Garmin is a company that
has been making excellent products for decades. And while you may think of GPS
products when you think of Garmin, they have expanded. They now have a stereo
system for recreation vehicles like side by sides. Up for review is their Tread
Audio System, with an $1,199 MSRP.
Features and specs:
Audio Box
Weight: 997 g (2.2 lbs)
Physical Dimensions (LxWxH):
210 mm x 130 mm x 55 mm (8.27" x 5.12" x 2.165")
Water and dust rating:
IP67
Input voltage:
8 to
14.4 Vdc
Current (max): 40 A
Current (muted): less
than 650 mA
Operating temperature range:
-4° F to 158° F (-20° to 70° C)
Storage temperature range:
-40° F to 185° F (-40° to 85° C)
Compass safe distance:
203 mm (8")
BLUETOOTH wireless range:
up to 10 m (30 ft)
ANT wireless range: up
to 10 m (30 ft)
Fuse: 15 A mini-blade
type
Peak power (Watts):
Four
200 W per channel
RMS power (Watts): Four
100 W RMS at 14.4 Vdc input, 4 ohm
Warranty: 1 year
Speakers
Weight:
2.49 kg (5.5
lbs)
Physical Dimensions: 177
mm x 233 mm (6.97" x 8.78")
Water and dust rating:
IP67
Operating temperature range: 32° - 122° F (0° to 50° C)
Speaker size: 6.5"
Peak power (Watts):
200
W per speaker
RMS power (Watts): 50
W
Sensitivity (1 W/1 m):
91 db
Frequency response: 80
Hz - 18kHz
Nominal impedance: 4
ohms
Recommended amplifier power (RMS): 20 - 150 W
LED lighting: yes
(RGB)
LED supply voltage: 10.8
- 16 Vdc
LED load current @ 14.4 VDC:
150 mA
Voice coil diameter: 30
mm (1.18")
Cone material: polypropylene
(PP) cone with cloth surround
Tweeter type: aluminum
dome
Supported roll bar sizes:
33.4 mm (1.31") to 50.8 mm (2.00") outer diameter
Warranty: 1 year
Wiring: 3 m
The Garmin Tread Audio System came in a great color printed
box with photos of the system. Opening the box revealed a well-protected
product held in place by custom sized cardboard. Materials used in the
construction was mostly plastic with some metal. Quality of materials used, as
well as fit and finish, was excellent. Also included were the adaptors for
installation, wire connectors, and owner’s manual.
I really like the design of the Garmin Tread Audio System.
It’s an all-in-one system, with a processor/amp, and two tower speakers. The
amp processor unit is the brains of the system, and powers the two speakers.
There is an app, and through the app and Bluetooth you control the system and
use your smartphone for your tunes. It’s all you need.
The amp/processor controls the system, and provides a lot of
functionality. It taps into your electrical system with ground and power
connectors, and has other connections for the two tower speakers. There are
also additional connections for the LED’s. It even has expansion options with
line in/out, USB, and an antenna connection for AM/FM radio. Thanks to
Bluetooth, all you really need for your tunes is your smartphone. Pull up your
favorite music streaming service, or your favorite tunes you have stored on
your phone, and you’re good to go.
To set-up the system, you would download the app on your
phones. Once you have the app downloaded and your phone paired with the Tread
system, you are ready to go. The Tread app is actually pretty simple, almost
too simple. You can select your input,
like if you have an antenna, or just using your smartphone. And then there’s buttons for Zone, Mute, and Volume.
The Tread app is also not just for the audio.
There’s a drop-down menu on the top left that allows you to add
additional devices, as well as use Group Ride, and Maps. The Tread app is an app to use with all of their
Tread products and not just the Tread Audio System. I was still a little surprised at the app not
including additional audio setting, like an Equalizer and DSP options.
Garmin did a great job with the Tread Audio System. It’s designed
to handle the elements it could find itself in, in a side by side. It’s also
very durable, being able to handle what you throw at it. The amp processor
provides good power for the tower speakers. With a co-axial tweeter and woofer
design, the tower speakers also provide great sound, and with the inputs for an
antenna for radio, USB, and inputs, you also get great functionality. There’s
even wires included in the wiring harness for a second paid of speakers. Using
the system, I can see that Garmin succeeded in providing an audio solution for
your outdoor vehicle.
I was impressed with the installation. Owner’s/Installation
manuals can be hit and miss. Some can be hard to follow, but with Garmin it was
well written and easy to follow. The wires were also extremely well labeled.
This further increased the ease of installation. Mounting the tower speakers,
thanks to the included brackets, was simple. And tapping into the electrical
system with the wiring harness, was also pretty straight forward. Now let’s see
how it sounds.
Electric Light Orchestra – Mr. Blue Sky: Snaps and drums
were nice and dynamic. Vocals were very smooth with good texture of the timbre,
and threw a very wide soundstage that also had good depth. Strings were smooth
with good resolution of the bow on the strings. Bass also had good depth and
played with authority.
Van Halen – Jump: Synthesizer was crisp and clean. Drums
were very dynamic with good extension and pitch definition of the midbass.
Cymbals were also crisp and clean. Guitar was nice and raw. Vocals were smooth
with good timbre.
Rush – Tom Sawyer: Drums were epic, with very good dynamics
and good authority, depth and definition of the midbass. Guitar was nice and
raw. Vocals were pleasantly smooth with very good resolution. Cymbals were
crisp and clean. Soundstage was again nice and wide and with depth.
I was impressed with the sound quality of the Garmin Tread
System. They are designed to play loud, mounted on a recreation vehicle, like a
side by side, and they delivered that in spades. Yet while being able to play
loud, they also provided a very good amount of resolution, and good bass for their size. And a component more
thought of with a high-quality home stereo system, they also provided a wide
soundstage with good depth as well. While the highs were on the bright side,
that can be toned down with equalization. The LED built into the speakers was also
really cool. I preferred the setting for
the lights to adjust to the music. While
Garmin may have a reputation for high quality GPS devices, they have taken that
leadership and experience to create other products of the same quality. As the saying goes….the truth is in the
pudding. And the Garmin Tread Audio
System is that pudding.
The Garmin Tread Audio System appeared to be a great audio system on
paper. Having used the system, the design proved to be a success. And not only
did it sound great, the Garmin Tread Audio System is also very well made, to
provide years of audio enjoyment. Garmin is proving that their leadership in
great navigation products can transfer to providing other great products as
well. If you are in the market for an audio system for your recreation vehicle
like a side by side, the Garmin Tread Audio System deserves to be on your short
list. Based on its design, features, quality and performance, the Garmin Tread
has earned our Editor’s Choice Award. Kudos to Garmin on such a great product.
For more info and complete specs, check out their website at www.Garmin.com.
