Guys,
New owner of a Horton Havoc, got it yesterday, is amazingly accurate and also amazingly LOUD (especially compared to the Greg Ritz videos on Horton's website).
Any tips to quiet it down? Do Limbsavers help at all?
Thanks.

Heavier bolts and ear plugs. It's the nature of the beast, esp compound crossbows

They ARE loud.
I have an Excalibur Exocet 200 and have the same dilema you have.
It's SO accurate it isnt funny, but its as loud as my .22 mag rifle going off. Then the other thing is, you're only going to get 1 shot, period! That would be the damn DUMBest deer in the world if he stood around for you get a 2nd crossbow shot. lol

So:
I've got my vertical compound bows up and running again and am using the crossbow for late season when the leaves are down and the deer are spooky.

So the recurve models are a good bit quieter? I could see trying one out for collecting some late-season freezer meat, as our archery season runs several weeks past the close of gun season.

No, they are not quieter than the compound crossbow versions.
The crossbow simply helps with the limited movement required, which in late season, those deer are just SO tuned in.
I've also never had "fun" shooting my crossbow. Everything is just matter-of-fact. I see it as a specialized tool I can use if I want to.

Shooting my Mathews and Hoyt bows are fun and all you hear is a light "thunk" when the arrow is released.

Daughter used my Dad's Horton Vison last Sat. on a nice big doe. We've been shooting it for a few weeks and I've been pleased and surprised by how quiet it is compared to any other X-bow I've been around.

I have ~20 rounds through the bow, discharged it last night into a bag after hunting, got up at 445am this morning to go out, got dressed, went to cock it, no bow string, guessing it departed into the abyss last night? This is troubling to say the least.

Even though my Barnett crossbow is not quiet, its one that has never had an arrow miss the aiming point by more than an inch on live animals. That tells me the noise is made up for somewhat by the speed.

Of course I"ve never shot a long show with the crossbow and see no need to either. I just set up correctly and get close shots or none at all.

As to some folks comments about being to mechanical.... lets just say if you bowhunt long enough with anything, anything should become mechanical. If not you are not improving. Its one reason I went to long range rifle shooting, bow hunting, was a given, if they were within my range, there was no question they were dead. Actually got boring after about 30 years of bowhunting...

A follow up to the MIA string, I emailed Horton w the issue and my concerns, their solution was to send me a string which I would have to pay to have installed.
The company I purchased it from, Sportsman's Outfitters in Dothan, AL, thankfully thought otherwise. They offered immediately to send a new bow (at no cost) w a UPS label to return the old.
That alone has earned my business going forward.
Thank you Sportsman's Outfitters!!!!