Re: Digital transmission?
> With proper handling and storage, pops and ticks can be quite rare.
In fact, they're often in the original pressing.
This!
Can't tell you how many fresh-from-the-record-store vinyl discs have pops and crackles built into the pressings. Not to mention the fact that rather few of them were flat; generally as a result of trying to save some money and using either a low quality of vinyl or not enough of it (or both). And then, there was the occasional off-center spindle hole....
I'm sure the "cork-sniffers" (great term, BTW) will tut-tut and mutter something snide under their breaths about the quality of the records I buy, yadda-yadda-yadda. Hey, I used to get promotional copies of many of the records I have, and were supposedly of higher quality than the retail stuff. These are meant to be beat-to-shit by somewhat-less-than-lucid DJs at radio stations1. Even these came warped, off-center drilled, and with built-in crackles and pops.
Snaps, crackles, and pops are for breakfast cereal, not for music reproduction, and I don't care how much money you spent compensating on your audiophile rig. I'll take the version without the defects, thankyewverramuch!
1Hey! I resemble that remark!