Mine is only usable with the "Old Phone" ring, which I actually prefer over the other stock rings which are way too soft. The speakerphone works well only in relatively quiet places or (I've found) on hard surfaces like laying on a desk, where you get a little reflection. On a car seat I can't hear it at all.
As far as ringing... if you use any of the ringtone hacks... run them through an audio editor and maximize them, not normalize, maximize... make them LOUD before adding them to your phone.
It helps a bit. Use something like this...
