If your device is showing you random issues, such as speaker/ear piece being crappy out of the box, do a hard reset. Some have reported this simple task has solved their problems. You can do this one of two ways: either select clear storage from the system tab in settings (Start->Settings), or power off the device, hold volume down and OK, and hit the power button.
That came strait from the Essential thread. Its located here:
http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread...ght=stock+roms