Help with TT ideas for my first TT

You can get occasional pops from your vinyl, it is fairly normal; It isn’t a digital format. You may want to invest in a record cleaner, and also a Zerostat anti-static gun. But even then, if you have some old albums, no matter how hard you try, and how much you clean, you may always have *some* surface noise depending on how they were cared for, the stylus the previous owner used, etc. Noise can also happen with LP’s that were not pressed well, even new ones. Pops can be from specs of dust, not only static. So many factors. 

Brush with a carbon fiber brush before each play. Keep your stylus clean. Clean your records. Zap with a Zerostat gun, especially when humidity become lower in the air. Those are good basic practices.

Some higher end cartridges and phono stages can also help in reducing (hiding) noise. It’s a journey, but don’t expect that part of playing vinyl to be as dead quiet as digital formats....all the time.

yes... pops and groove noise

cleaners reduce but never eliminate, even the really pricey ones

welcome to vinyl

I guess I expected some, especially between tracks but during playing it was in expected.

I guess why is a bar line of what is to be expected versus above average?

I recently spoke to an old friend who owns a Hi Fi store in Michigan. His first choice for a starter audiophile deck is the Sota Escape. I am a big time Sota fan and I had no idea this table existed! It is an....interesting looking turntable. It has a great drive system probably the best of the group. The Rega 220 arm is certainly serviceable but probably most important is the company. They (Donna) are very responsive and will bend over backwards for you. 

As for pops and clicks in vinyl, on records that are well cared for the music will mask them except during the quietest passages. Well designed phono stages and styli are most definitely quieter. It is really just the deep scratches that are a real problem. 

When have you been to a concert where there is no background noise?
Coughing, talking, glass clinking, walking etc.  Digital is actually abnormally quiet! Ears are connected to a psycho-active device, your brain. I usually get a lot of flack when I bring this up. Have you ever wondered by women in general do not like loud volumes? Why are they the ones that are always turning it down? Why is this such a male predominant hobby? You married guys, how many times has your wife slapped you in the face waking you up from a nice dream saying in a loud whisper, "What's that!" In nature women are responsible for protecting the children. Many of their behaviors are centered around this instinct. Women are always listening to the environment for any sign of danger. They are uncomfortable with loud music for this reason. The funny thing is that this instinct is not active prior to childbirth, only after. I bring this up as an example. 80% of the SUV buyers are female and if you ask women they will tell you why. They are more comfortable being up higher. Why?
Easier to see danger coming. Men? We want to be powerful. We buy pickup trucks and overpowered sports cars. Why don't we care about volume levels? We do. We want to be as loud and threatening as possible hopefully scaring our enemies away. We also dress up in war paint and pierce our noses and ears with bones so our enemy knows we have no trouble tolerating pain. Does all this affect the way we perceive background noise? 

That is a bit of a longer explanation than i expected.  I honestly dont mind the hiss between tracks.  As you say the noise in a concert hall before the band, or orchestra comes on is normal and part of the experience.  However hearing a pop mid music seems abnormal, and unlike a CD that is plug and go, so the reason I am asking what is expected here