Home > Consumer Reviews > Cobra XRS-9630 12-Band Radar/Laser Detector

The only downside to this radar detector is to set the compass. You will need a retail store parking lot (empty) to drive in circles (3 times) to set the compass. After that the radar detector is such a beauty. It will detect all the bands specified in the description, I know it for a fact. It will detect a speed radars about a mile and a half away in any direction. In open highway it will go as far as 2 1/2 miles. This product has definitly saved me from several tickets.

I highly recommend this unit. For the price you get full 360 detection in all bands. The range is amazing. The best thing about this unit is its detection of KA, KU, bands on the oncoming traffic from staters and county sherrifs. You get one bar of signal and slow down and then it gets stronger for a while before you even see the cop. Absolutely pays for itself in the first week if you have a long commute. also picks up the POP signal from the moto cops and saves you by a good 15 seconds before you even see them. Don't waste your money on the fancier units with advanced displays and voice responses, totally not needed and most sacrifice the laser detection to give you the bells and whistles. This is the maximum functional unit for the money w/o any extra junk that you don't need. 4 out of 5 just because it is a window mount unit, not a under hood unit with extra sensors. Also only had it about a month so the longevity is yet to be tested. Another couple of months and this thing is a 5.

This product is simply amazing as long as you are aware. I have had it detect KA band from 2 miles away, from the other side of the hill. It does give a lot of false positive, especially the X, K, and SPECTRE bands. I'd recommend turning X off in general.

The false positives are usually things like radar controlled bill boards(like those lotto ad's that show the current jackpot), automatic doors, and some electronic traffic signs will set this off.

But if you pay attention, and think about where cops like to hide, you won't ever get pulled over. I went from 5 tickets in 1 year, to none in 2 years now. Definately worth the money!

To point out what others have said, this detector works fabulous and the range is fantastic. In that area, I'm extremely happy with it.
The compass thing isn't really a big deal for me... I never really programmed it so I won't make any other comments about it.

There was an issue I've had with this detector and it's quite bothersome. BUT this may be partly the fault of my 12v power outlet in my car. I noticed sometimes while driving the detector would "restart" itself. I traced this back to a loose connector for the power outlet. I assumed I fixed since the restarting stopped. About 4-5 months after I bought it I started seeing strange incomplete lettering and blocks on the display. The detector continued to function properly.
Now about 8 months later the display shows nothing at all. It is completely non-functional. The detector still works fine though audibly. Did my loose connector end up causing a strange short in the display? I'm not sure. The connector is not a problem anymore but the display no longer shows. It's ok. I can deal with it. :)

Great value for the price.
I also had the chance to test it and it spotted all the radars. Also I had a lot of false alarms but I guess I need to deactivate some of the alerts!