we just renewed our contract with Beckman and replaced three overworked DxH's with brand new ones. our setup is all three connected in a line with the SMS at the end (and by the end of the year connected to the Power Express). Honestly, the only other system I would even consider switching to (based on comments read on numerous other forums) is the Sysmex XN. You have a tough choice there. If your facility is anything like mine, the finance department will make the final call.
You'll have a choice of creating a connected line with both Sysmex and Beckman. Scott mentioned the connection doesn't work well for his lab - and I find that true for the other labs in our health system. For my lab, it works great. The SMS has pros and cons. LOTS of maintenance. We run a Wright-Giemsa stain, and the lines that handle the stain-buffer mix have developed what I have diagnosed as "coronary artery disease". That mix gets swampy and gross and clogs things up. They finally made a modification that makes flushing with methanol easier, but it is time consuming (45 minutes). BUT the slides are awesome! In my opinion, if you're looking for a system with a slidemaker stainer, I would lean toward Sysmex.