Cobra SPX 955 Review
Tightening your budget should not keep you from getting the best radar detector your money could afford. Thankfully, there are many options in the market to cater to your wallet.
The Cobra SPX 955 is one of them, but you’d be wrong to undermine it based on price alone.
Pros
- Affordability
- Intuitive design
- Signal detection at 360 degrees
- Good overall range
- Picks up signals in advance
Cons
- The display is simple and works well, but additional info on the screen would be more helpful
Compared to many of its competitors in the same price range, the Cobra SPX 955 exceeds expectations when it comes to detection range (yes, even in 2020!).
This is a very important consideration, because it employs Cobra’s very own Xtreme Range Superheterodyne Technology.
What is that exactly, you ask? Well, follow along and we’ll learn shortly!
An advantage of the Cobra SPX 955, as well as other SPX units in the series, is its size. The very compact unit is estimated to weigh below one pound.
Because of this, and the suction mount that comes with the radar detector, setting this up on either your dashboard or your windshield poses little to no difficulty.
The suction mount will also make sure that the radar detector is secured on its spot.
The screen boasts of an UltraBright Data Display. With it, reading the alerts on the device should not be a struggle, which is of the utmost importance when you’re on the road.
The ability to adjust the brightness—to ‘bright’, ‘dark’ and ‘dim’—is of course, welcome.
You can easily set alert programming too to monitor certain radar bands. Overall, the Cobra SPX 955 is designed to be intuitive, although going through the user manual would not hurt.
When bought, the Cobra SPX 955 also comes with a power adapter.
Features
Part of Cobra’s accessible SPX line, the SPX 955 is similar to the rest when it comes to its promise of military-grade components.
It also is marketed by Cobra to use the latest technology (at the time, at least) it has on the small-sized detectors.
But is the SPX series, and the SPX 955 in particular, really game-changing as it claims to be? Here is a rundown of the features to back up that assertion.
See our review of another model in the SPX series here: https://www.ratedradardetector.org/cobra-radar-detectors/spx-900-review/.
Alerts for Different Signals
For a tiny radar detector, the SPX 955 can detect radar signals X, K and Ka, laser signals, VG-2 and Spectre. When radar signals are identified, not only will you have an alert for it, but you’ll also know of its signal strength.
For laser signals, the SPX 955 has a 360-degree detector.
Advanced Alerts
The SPX 955 is equipped to pick up signals from instant radar guns, even when in POP mode, through Ku band detection and its safety alert feature. That means you can slow down appropriately because you’ve been informed beforehand.
Xtreme Range Superheterodyne Technology
Nobody likes it when radar detectors pick up false alarms, but while that could not be completely avoided, there are means to lessen it. The IVT is used to filter out signals from collision avoidance systems as well as other sensors.
IntelliMute and IntelliMute Pro
When your vehicle’s engine revs are below what the activation point that you have set on the device, your detector will automatically have a mute function so that it can decrease the number of false audio alerts.
The Intellimute Pro adds another layer of protection so that the SPX 955 remains undetected by radar detector detectors (RDDs).
FAQS
Q: What types of RDDs are detected by the Cobra SPX 955?
A: As per the product’s user manual, the Cobra SPX 955 can detect and be shielded from RDDs such as VG-2, Spectre I and Spectre IV+.
Cobra SPX 955 Review Conclusion
When we said you shouldn’t undermine the Cobra SPX 955 based on price, we meant it. It offers much more than radar detectors at its price range: good design, good range, and even protection from Spectre.
It’s okay to level expectations since this is not at the cream of the crop as far as Cobra detectors are concerned and it’s not game-changing, what with the new technology coming out every day.
But this can be for the long haul for its efficiency, which is quite impressive for radar detectors that would not have you shell out hundreds of dollars.
William Johnson is the owner and founder of RatedRadarDetector.org. He writes about car accessories, with his passion stemming from a deep enthusiasm for all things automotive. His website, RRD, focuses on in-depth reviews of car accessories to help people find the best and latest products in the market.
