Garmin Zumo XT

[Novocastrian]

I have the Garmin 595 but am constantly disappointed by the light output and readability in bright sunlight.  I have read the Zumo XT is a significant improvement but there only appears to be a simple power cable and not the harness that comes with the 595 or the 660.  My concern is how it could connect to the Trophy Audio system the way the others do.  I quite like that set up and I really like the Zumo XT as well but can't see how it connects with the Trophy. Any ideas or advice from people who understand this stuff?

[Coconut]

It looks like the XT does not have an Audio Out connector like the 595 model.

As long as you don't want to play the NAV Instructions over the Trophy Speakers
this might not be a problem. 

I don't know the XT System, but imagine it will work in a similar way to the 595.

I have the 595 ( and agree about the poor screen brightness ),
and have it connected by Bluetooth to the Sena SRL in my Neotec 2 helmet :

1.  Pair the Sena SRL to the Garmin using the SRL's "GPS Pairing" Mode
2.  Connect Mobile Phone ( in my case an iPhone ) to the Garmin as "Phone"
3.  Install Garmin Smartlink App on iPhone, to provide additional features such as Live Traffic for the Garmin
4.  Connect the Sena SRL to the Trophy "HEADSET 1" Channel, using the SRL "Mobile Phone" pairing mode
5.  Ensure Sena SRL SRL has "Audio Multi Tasking" enabled in its settings menu.

This set up allows the NAV instructions to be played from the Garmin directly to the Helmet,
over-riding any other Audio that me be playing.
 
The Mobile Phone can be accessed via the Garmin Touch Screen.

Audio from the Trophy Audio system ( Radio / USB Connected media ) can be heard in the helmet,
and automatically switches to the Garmin Audio when a NAV instruction is played,
then switches back to the Trophy audio.

Hope this is helpful ! 

[Novocastrian]

Thanks, Alan.  I'll have to get my head round this LOL but I don't use a phone on the bike so that simplifies one aspect.

[Novocastrian]

Well, I've installed the Garmin Zumo XT and the difference is remarkable.  This is the fourth time I've dismantled all the plastic to fit a Sat Nav and was rather pleased I didn't have any bolts left over.  Even though I knew which way the Sat Nav support bar goes, I still managed to reverse it. Duh.

The unit can't be hooked into the Trophy Audio system as there is no audio out on the Zumo, but it doesn't matter because I just Bluetooth direct to helmet.  The plus points are I will no longer be squinting trying to read the display in bright sunlight and I also get the top line of the Trophy screen back in line of sight.  I've added a photo so you can see the difference between the Zumo XT and the 595LM.  The second photo is with the sun behind me shining directing on to the Zumo XT.

I'm selling the Garmin 595 now if anyone wants an upgrade from the 660.

[dietDrThunder]

Wow I'm so thankful for this thread! I had a 665LM that I absolutely loved, but it was destroyed in the Great Bovine Intervention of 2018. I bought a 595 to replace it, and I hate nearly everything about it. It's routing sucks, it doesn't do real-time re-calc of trip stats, and all of the old built-in functionality was moved off the GPS onto your phone...and all with a crappy  screen and no native XM radio, which I used constantly.

I know that this new jobber won't fix several of those things, but at least the screen is usable!

[Novocastrian]

Originally Posted by dietDrThunder

I know that this new jobber won't fix several of those things, but at least the screen is usable!

The other noticeable thing is the speed.  Much, much faster possessor.

[dietDrThunder]

Originally Posted by Novocastrian

The other noticeable thing is the speed.  Much, much faster possessor.

That's a good thing because my 595 is noticeably slower than my 665 was. I didn't even know that turn-by-turn so slow that I regularly miss turns was a thing until I got the 595. Never happened one time ever w the 665.

[Jeffb]

Are these units interchangeable with the Trophy mounting bracket? I currently have the 595 with the Triumph factory accessory mounting bracket. Can I just clip the XT onto the same bracket? I understand that I would lose the audio capability, but other than that, it would work okay?