Beltronics STI Driver Radar Detector

I purchased the Beltronics STI Driver for $449.95 from an authorized online retailer about 13 months ago, it's now 17 March 08. I have absolutely babied this device, always taking it out of the windshield - out of the sun when parking. It's always kept dry. Never dropped. Never banged. So basically for 8 months it astounded me. It seemed to reach far into the distance, I'd say around 3/4 of a mile in straight roadway instances, to detect radar. But then after about 8 months, I started to notice a difference. First off, the digital voice alert, an audible electronically generated voice that is emitted from a small speaker on the side of the unit, started to sound garbled. It still emitted the voice alert and you could understand the electronic voice, but the voice was not clear, it sounded garbled. I just lived with it figuring maybe the small speaker inside the unit had deteriorated a little bit. The second issue, beginning at the 8 month mark, is it seemed to lose some of its ability to detect far into distance. It still detected Ka, K, and X band radar, but the Ka radar source seemed to be a lot closer, in some instance only 1/4 of a mile on straight roadway, before the unit would detect Ka band. Then at the 13 month mark, the voice alert died altogether. So now all it does is display an alert. The distance at which the unit detects K and X band seems to still be the same as when the unit was new. I called the customer service number on the underside of the unit and they said I should send in the unit. They said they would warranty it up to 14 months. So luckily, even though I am over the 12 month mark, they would still warranty it because it fell within the 14 month mark. They said they were 5 to 7 days repair time from the date that they receive the unit. So we'll see how it goes. At this time, I wouldn't recommend the Beltronics brand. On March 17, 2008, I read through some other Epinions for Beltronics and I saw one review where the guy had the same problem I am having where the voice alert just stopped working altogether, but his was a different Beltronics model, not the STI Driver. So after having found another guy on Epinion who is having the same problem on a unit from the same manufacture I'm drawing a negative conclusion. Yes, it is a small sample to draw the conclusion from, but that is what I have to go on. At this time I am thinking about getting another radar detector, for a second car I purchased, and I am thinking strongly of purchasing a Valentine.

UPDATE 8 Apr 08
I shipped the detector to Beltronics 18 Mar 08. I got it back 4 Apr 08. The note included inside the shipping box said "replaced speaker assy, updated software, calibrated, tested." That is all it said. Did they fix the problem for which is was sent in for? Yes, the electronic voice alert comes out clear. However, since having the unit back in the vehicle, I have noticed the loudness of the voice alert is lower than what it was prior to it failing. I don't have a decibel meter to run tests. This conclusion is based solely on my sensory ability of my ears. As for the detection capability, I do not have any scientific instruments to test that either. All I have is my sensory capability which is used when I hear or see an alert emitted from the unit, and I start looking around for the source. It is my sense that the unit does not detect as well as it did when it was new. That is just my opinion. I have no scientific evidence to support my assertion. However, even in the absence of scientific data, my gut feeling is still strong enough that I will not go with another Beltronics product. Folks who read this will have to make their own determination. I am just relaying what my experience has been.