It is definitely possible to get a pop when you use the ioctl if the current output sample is not a 0 (zero). If it is a zero, then I don't think you should get a pop. However, I expect that you wouldn't be able to hear music when you use the ioctl, so you should have a nice zero sample. Either the music has not started playing yet, or it has stopped playing from before.

I certainly can't hear any noise at all with the empeg volume cranked down, and the speakers cranked up.

Does it pop when you have the empeg volume turned right down? Is it relative to the empeg volume,
or independent?

Richard.