Hoyt probably won't get a try though as their bows are ugly and from what I've experienced, loud.

I used to love Mathews but since I started shooting dual/binary cams bows I just can't go back to the single (solo) cam bow. The only bow in Mathews lineup I would even try is the Chill, and it is their only non solocam bow. I like the increase in performance in the dual cam bows and just can't go back to the soft wall of a single cam.

My first new bow was a Pearson Spoiler, Back in 91 or 92, can't remember. I do remember my buddies were envious. Before that I shot a bunch of used hand me downs. I actually wish I still had it along with my Mathews Q2XL and some others.

Oh one more thing, I am assuming you are shooting off the shelf bows. Just because unequipped the bow is loud is not a good indication it will always be. Once you add a stabilizer and suppressors like BowJax accessories it will really take the loud out of them. I really don't pay much attention to how loud a bow is, because I have seen from experience you can get them all about decently quiet with the right accessories.

focus... felt cheap and very blocky to me

Chuck, I disagree with you here. I will not buy a bow that is loud off the shelf. I have to invest my hard earned money into a bow and I certainly dont want to buy stuff that I dont need. Noise cancelling accessories are not considered needs for my bow. Yes I do have a stabilizer on my bow. My bow came with a few dampeners on it so that is all that I have on mine and my bow is super quiet.

If you already have a stabilizer and dampeners, then how can you disagree, those are the items I am talking about. Maybe some monkey tails or something similar on the string, but those are all you should need.

Mathews has a great warranty, but I think Elite goes one better. If you are ever hunting in the field and your elite breaks down or fails, you call them and they will overnight you a new one so you can continue your hunt. When your done you just return it and get your original bow fixed. From Their website:

"Elite Hunt Guarantee

Elite Archery believes that our customers are top priority and we want our customers to be 100% confident in their bows. Elite Archery is comprised of dedicated and passionate bow hunters – for this reason we offer a unique guarantee for our hunting customers.

It happens. You are on the hunt of a lifetime and you accidentally touch your broadhead to your string. You are taking your one-week of vacation to hunt with your friends and your buddy dry-fires your bow. If there isn’t a bow shop within driving distance, your hunt is over – but not if you’re shooting an Elite bow. No matter where you are or what happened to your bow, Elite will send a bow to you at no charge the very next day so that you can finish your hunt. This bow is on loan from Elite Archery and not intended to replace your damaged bow. The loaner bow will arrive with the customers requested draw weight and length, with a rest, sight and peep installed. The bow will be tuned and ready to shoot. It will only need to be sighted in with the customer’s arrows.

If something happens to your bow while on your hunt, please call us at 877-503-5483 and ask for the warranty department. The bows must be returned to us in the condition that they were shipped with all accessories. The loaner bow must be sent using a shipping company that provides package tracking. Our goal is to make sure you can finish your hunt, no matter where you are, no matter what happened."

You're having a bad hunt.

I bought my first serious bow at All Star Archery in Lewisville and I shot quite a few, before narrowing it down to 4. But then I was stuck on all these different thinks, much of which I had heard from others or read in marketing stuff.

The guy there, who was very knowledgeable and patient said, there isn't a bow in that group that wasn't top rate and wouldn't make a helluva bow. He suggested I shoot each bow a couple of times with my eyes closed. Said forget all that marketing mumbo jumbo and any brand bias see which one feels the best.

I closed my eyes and he handed me each bow and aimed me in the right decision. It was easy to immediately eliminate 2 of them. Then another round of shots and it was easy to pick out the right one for me. That would be my advice.

Going to be a pretty penny, but you only live once.