I am looking to get my first compound bow, i have looked at brands such as pse, diamond, bear, bowtech...what is the best bow i can get for $600-$700?

You must go to a local pro shop and shoot those brands that you have looked at. Only you will know what the best Bow for you is. A bow that is best for you wont be best for someone else. Once you have decided to pick the bow best for you then you must practice, practice, practice, and practice some more.

not only that, but they will make sure that you have the right draw and arrow lengths...

welcome to the forums! McAvene said it you can believe it no matter what the salesman says. Your hands will tell you which one you like, it's like asking, which bow shoots the best? I've had the pants shot off me by an archer with a thirty year old bow. Get what you love and you will have all the confidence to make it the best bow.

When I got my last bow I spent time going to different shops .The reason is some shops only sell certain bows .So to get a good ideal I went to several ,And yes some were 50 to 60 miles away .You will know the bow when you pull it back .And my bow before that I have pulled and shot many bows .I went to a shop that only dealt in High Country bows and as soon as I pulled it back and then shot it I bought it .

I agree with everyone so far but but I would try all the bows you can. All the manufactures you named make good bows but they aren't the only ones. Depending on where you live there may be other makes.  Some companies only sell through dealer because they are pretty sure you will get a bow that fits you and that you can draw.  most pro shops will also help you with tuning and help you get started.

You may want to buy a bow with a 60- 70 pound range, start out with 60 and work your self up higher as you gain form and confidence, if need be. You may be happy with 60, but you will have options and time to choose the perfect draw weight for you through practice. JMHO Don't be fooled into 70 pounds and higher are the perfect key to a successful bow hunter, too far from the truth. Don't let speed draw you into mistruths either. As stated before, the guy that shoots that 20 year old bow consistently, will have the upper edge every time, regardless of speed. Within that stated price range, you will have many great bows to choose from, take your time.

I went to the local archery shop with the intent to try the entire selection, but I fell in love with the Bow-tech Assassin and never bothered with the rest of the selection (so I will never know). They shop owner did offer; and he let me (nearly forced me) to stay a while and shoot the bow-tech before I paid/ran out with it.

I was easily-sold partly because my first/previous bow was a 1992 Bear Kodiac that fired arrows like a mortar. 

The weight; stand around a while in the store with the bow in your carry-hand, say 30-40 minutes.
The let-off; get in front of a target with an arrow knocked and see how long you can hold the bow in the drawn position.
Start off with a dozen arrows; use 6 for practice and save 6 for hunting.

X2 on the information in the previous posts; especially the draw-length for the bow and the arrows.

Lastly, a rule to consider is to never accept a full-priced bow off the demo-rack; it could have been dry-fired by previous customers.
Any contentious counter-person will/should understand if you do not want to pay full price for a "demo". (Dry-fire=bad)
If it is a demo, look closely at the sides of the limbs; you may find tiny parallel lines (cracks in the paint), that is an indication of dry-firing.
   

I have a 2005 bow tech tomkat. It shoots about 273 fps which is plenty. I'm 2 for 2 with deer with it one being the buck in my picture I took the same day as my bow course. The other being a big doe. But this bow even tho it is slower is an efficient killing machine. I highly recommend bow tech to any hunter. I feel that they now out rank bear and Mathews as the best bow on the market today. In addition I'd like to add that my 05 only shot 13 fps slower than a 2012 Mathews

Brandon you're right , 273 FPS is more than plenty ; heck took many with far less speed . Think your math is a little off on the Mathews though . IBO for single cam was 332 , and double cam was in the 340's . Hunting weight set up put the single in the 290's . Just sayen .

my first bow was a bear legion but like others have said its best to go try different ones out for yourself as i am only 5'7 so this bow is nice and compact with a very easy draw, also one of the only bows i could find due to me being left handed. PSE also makes great bows my buddy loves them and ive tried his out and liked it as well.

The factory gives you specs on the bow maxed out. Unless you Hercules that's what you get outta it

There are so many different types and bands of bows out there that it would take days to shoot them all, and take your time shooting each one. Like people have mentioned, go to a bow shop and shoot the bows they have there. Then go to a different shop that carries some different brands and shoot those ones, you will find one you like. I remember the first time I picked up a Mathews, it was such a smooth shooting bow compared to my old High Country and I knew I wanted one. Another thing to look at is the specs on the bows, there are a few brands that make bows with a wide range of draw length and poundage and they are really reasonable.

There are so many different types and bands of bows out there that it would take days to shoot them all, and take your time shooting each one. Like people have mentioned, go to a bow shop and shoot the bows they have there. Then go to a different shop that carries some different brands and shoot those ones, you will find one you like. I remember the first time I picked up a Mathews, it was such a smooth shooting bow compared to my old High Country and I knew I wanted one. Another thing to look at is the specs on the bows, there are a few brands that make bows with a wide range of draw length and poundage and they are really reasonable.

I guess I went the strange and unothodoxs way of buying a bow. I got my first bow from a friend after he upgraded and and it was over two years old. People suggest the same to me about going to all the shops and trying every bow, the problem with that for me is then I can't make up my mind. My wife actually perfers I don't shop around for things after it took almost a 6 month and many trips to different furniture stores sitting on every couch they had to pick one i liked. I know I pull 70lbs with no problem and I needed a 30 inch draw, and just about any new modern bow would feel better than my last one. So I checked the bargin cave online at cabelas every day untill one of last years mode{1}**** the clearance. When I saw one I checked for reviews to see if there was alot of major problems. Bought a Diamond deadeye last year new sold for 799 for 599, I had it shipped to the store so I could shoot it there. Picked it up, tried it out, and like it and thought it was light years better then my last, and didn't have to deal with all the shopping around, a little different approach but I am more than happy.