I am not an expert on networking or digital signals. Althgouh, I have read articles about both. Here is my simple understanding of digital versus analogue.
A digital signal reproduces a sound wave. I have seen this described on an X/Y axis where each packet of information creates a dot on the X/Y axis and all of those dots eventually create a reproduction of a sound wave. Timing is another story, and to be quite honest, I have never been able to retain exactly how that works. But I know it's important and that a DAC needs a clock. dCS sells an atomic clock for a mere $12,000. An inherent problem with digital is that no matter how how high the resolution (how many dots per inch, let's say) there can never be an infinite number of dots. So, some interpolation will have to be done. I believe that's handled by software that can make a big difference.
An analogue signal on a record is, in essence, sound waves themselves. If you want to prove this, take an old record you don't care about for an experiment. Make a paper cone and put a needle through the narrow end of the paper cone. Spin the record with the needle in it and the cone will make music. I think this was how the first Gramaphones worked.
There are so many variables, however. Some records are recorded so badly, you might as well listen to a CD. Artists like Diana Krall make wonderful CDs, in regards to how they sound. Then there is the very high rsolution streaming sometimes offers, 192 kHz (samples per second) sent in a 24 bit word length which is enormous. Red Book CD is recorded at 44.1 kHz (samples per second) with a 16 bit word length.
Most albums recorded after 1980 come from a digitized source. Stored in the highest resolution files. They sound very good, but on a decent rig like mine, I can tell when records come from a digital source and an analogue source. As I've said, I listen to music while I write. Every now and then I'll hop over to chatgbt and ask, "Does this album come from a digitized source?" And I pretty much am right all the time.
