I personally think the quietest shooting bows are mathews and the top of line hoyts. I also thing the some of the mathews models are the most shock free bows I have shot, but they are also not as fast as the others. I think the smoothest bow to draw are dartons CPS cams, or any wheel bow. As far as the most forgiving, that will depend on the individual and how well the bow fits that person.

Paul