Home > Consumer Reviews > Cobra XRS 9440 High Performance 12 Band Radar/Laser Detector

This has to be one of the most attractive electronic items I have seen in a long time. Unfortunately, this "Chrome won't get you home" without a ticket.

The description of this item is technically correct but very misleading. While it is a 12-band device here's the meaning behind those 12 bands:

Radar signals include
X Band - very short range detection capability
K Band - very short range detection capability
Ka Superwide - very short range detection capability
Ku Band - used in Europe - no value in North America
VG-2 alert - detectible to currently used VG-2 - undetectible only to unused VG-2 radar detector detectors
Spectre-1 detectible to currently used Spectre 2, 3, and 4. - undetectible only to unused Spectre 1 radar detector detectors

Laser signals include
LTI 20-20 - short range detection, if detects laser, you have already been clocked
Ultra Lyte - short range detection, if detects laser, you have already been clocked
ProLaser - short range detection, if detects laser, you have already been clocked
ProLaser III - short range detection, if detects laser, you have already been clocked

Safety signals include
Safety Alert® - not yet widely implemented - not a frequency used directly for speed enforcement
Strobe Alert® - not yet widely implemented - not a frequency used directly for speed enforcement

So you get
- a few short-range radar detection frequencies,
- a few laser detection frequencies (most of the time all too short range to protect you)
- a couple radar detector detector frequencies that detect obsolete and widely abandoned radar detector detectors, meaning where radar detectors are illegal this unit is not doing anything but broadcast that you have a radar detector...
- a couple unimplemented safety warning frequencies

Additionally, these units are notorious for giving off interference of their own which can be detected by other radar detectors!

The design is pretty but because of the light color and chrome parts, reflects off the dash. The internal speaker is not loud enough to hear over music or in a noisy environment. The power cord and mounting options make it very conspicuous. The brackets are not known for their durability.

Overall this unit gives a false sense of security, is detectible in states where they're illegal, and has a marginal form factor.

Do your own research before buying units like this - you don't get much more than a pretty package that makes a lot of noise when it shouldn't and not enough noise when it should.

It works great everywhere I go with great advance alerts with plenty of time for reactions to situations. I've dodged many traps without a problem. Now I've got one in both of my cars. Just make sure it's installed so your hood and windshield wipers don't block the unit's front point of view. "I'm On The Road Again, Eastbound And Down".

This was my first radar detector, I got this at a local Best Buy for about $75.00USD more than on Amazon.com (see it pays to shop around). I have never owned a radar detector before so it was really a learning game for me, I installed it, then went out for a test drive.

I drove by a Walgreens and the siren was going off, and the nice lady was yelling "K BAND!" Not knowing at the time it was a false alarm, I slowed down just to realize that there was no Police to be seen. I drove by another Walgreens later that day, and the same false alert went off again. After knowing to ignore it when I drove by local automatic door openers, I took it for the ultimate ride on the highway.

After getting on I-290 West, She was alerting me of an "X BAND", already going 80 mph, I slowed down, and looked around...to my surprise, no Police anywhere to be found. At that point, I diverted my coarse to the same Best Buy that I purchased it from to return it.

Pros: Nice design, easy to read display, clear voice alerts.

Cons: False alerts, short detection range, difficult to quickly dismount.

Overall: This is a nice looking unit that blends in with most modern cars, but lacks the performance of other brands within the same price range.

I bought this as a gift, so I'm not sure on the actual performance quality, but fast shipping was nice.

I received my product in a timely manner as promised. It was still in it's original package and works perfectly. I will definitely buy from this seller again!