@jeffstrick and @rudyb Since you wanted an explanation, I will try. I do not want this thread to go away from its intended purpose so I refrained from discussing further.
When we talk about digital to digital transmission, there are several varieties of transmission. I am just going to confine to PCM transmission. We all assume that it is the same 1s and 0s without understanding or realizing that there are multiple varieties of transmission of this signal. The most straightforward PCM format is designated as NRZ-L, for non return to zero level. In this format, the level directly represents the binary value: low level = 0, high level = 1
But there are many varieties of PCM
NRZ-M ( non return to zero mark). 1: no change in level from last pulse. 0: level changes from last pulse.
NRZ-S (non return to zero space). This is the same as NRZ-M but with the logic levels reversed. 1: level changes from last pulse. 0: no change in level from last pulse.
Bi-Phase-L (bi-phase level). The level always changes in the middle of the pulse. 1: level changes from high to low. 0: level changes from low to high.
Bi-Phase-M. (bi-phase mark). The level always changes at the beginning of each pulse. 1: level changes in the middle of the pulse. 0: no level change in the middle of the pulse.
Bi-Phase-S (bi-phase space). This is the same as Bi-Phase-L but with the logic levels reversed. 1: no level change in middle of pulse. 0: level changes in the middle of the pulse.
DBi-Phase-M (differential bi-phase mark). The level always changes in the middle of the pulse. 1: no level change at beginning of the pulse. 0: level change at beginning of the pulse.
DBi-Phase-S (differential bi-phase space). This is the same as DBi-phase-M but with the logic levels reversed. 1: level change at beginning of the pulse. 0: no level change at the beginning of the pulse.
It is possible for an error to occur somewhere in the transmission process. One way to increase the reliability of transmitted PCM signals is to add a checksum bit to each piece of data. For example, in an eight-bit byte, seven of the bits can be used for data and the last reserved for a checksum bit. In one method, the checksum bit is determined by parity (meaning an even or odd number). In even parity checksums, a 0 or 1 is added to make the overall number of ones (including the checksum) even. In odd parity, a 0 or 1 is added to make the overall number of ones odd.
This error is signal-to-noise ratio. This error is influenced by capacity (bandwidth) and timing. This is calculated by C = R Log (1 + S/N).
So there is no way any digital signal (which you describe as simple 1s and 0s) will sound the same. The cables that reduce the errors more sound better. This is a very simplistic explanation. I recommend you do more research on digital to digital transmission. You will be amazed that things like cable length can greatly determine the quality of signal. Search for hdmi and cable length needed and you will be surprised by how changing length can change what you can watch.