Danny your Sfaradi I highly recommend you going to a Sfardic shul- I love the way we pray together and the tunes, etc. In my shul the Rabbi didn't make any sermons- their was prayer the whole time and had only 2 hours break between Shaharit and Minha. -The Rabbi did translate some parts of the confessions of sins that we make and also told people that he wishes that the shul in packed everyday like it was on Yom Kippur, he said please come in on Shabbat and those who regularly come on Shabbat to come in everyday.
the Sephardi shuls are ok..I'm just not used to them.
the other thing is that I happen to like sermons...considering that i don't understand the Hebrew which i love reading in the chumash nevertheless, there is something more than just silent prayer and ruakh that I need especially on Yom Kippur...a good cleansing with nice ideas on how we, fellow Jews, and Israel were the previous year and how we should be the following year...and relate it to Yom Kippur or the Torah portion or the Haftarah portion...
Chabad is more like Sfaradim in that respect in that they just read without stretching things out.
not sure about all Sefardim- but in my Shul and in Bukharian shuls I have been to they do stretch things out, I though it was the opposite becuase in the building of my shul their are Askenazim (younge Israel Orthodox) who last night and allways finish much quicker then our Minyan downstairs- Bukharians. I have also visited Orthodox Askenazi shuls and the prayers more individually oriented. Also once I was in a deform/conservative service and it was retarted, I was away and it said minya, I didnt expect going to a minyan that resembles more of a german church. Thier was a girl their also who said she had her bat (or bar) mitzva reading, I started to laugh, I was like to her but your a girl- she got offended (I dont care).
-No offense to Askenazim, but I love going to Bukharian and genarally Sefardi shuls/minyans - theirs soo much energy and you feel togetherness, but for me in Askenazi shuls it feels somewhat isolationist.