I'd appreciate you giving your opinion and some comment on their general sound signature if you have heard them - that is what I asked for. You don't need to worry about the thread being derailed.
I'm sure other members will respect my reasons for starting this thread and not turn it into a sparing match over brand loyalty, but do also welcome their subjective descriptive opinions also.
Well you asked for it!
The SME 10 is pretty bland sounding but looks nice and has a small footprint. It sounds very constrained and polite.
The 20 is better and sounds good on classical music. Colouration is very low. It doesn't time very well and is a poor choice for rock.
The 30 is better but is way over priced. Much cheaper decks exist that out perform it and some by a wide margin. Doesn't suit rock as well either unless you swap off the SME V for a graham or tri-planar.
SME make some of the most neutral and uncoloured decks out there. This is their strong point and they are strongly favoured by professionals within the classical industry. To me they sound a bit flat, slow, lifeless and mechanical.
For classical I think the amazon reference is better. For rock / jazz/ dance choose Yorke, Brinkman or avid. I bought the brinkmann lagrange