Does a ripped cd onto a digital format sound better than the cd played on the cdp

Thanks Steve. Of course "received" is a big simplification. The moment of D/A conversion does not have to to be the same as moment of data arrival, but often conversion clock is based on incoming data rate to avoid getting out of sync (losing data). The question is what to do to avoid it. One option is to use system that buffers data, using different, independent clock for D/A conversion with signaling to make sure buffer always has enough of data, or doesn’t overflow and that’s how async USB works. Another option is to use device that reclocks serial S/Pdif signal. You can use reclocking DAC (like my Benchmark DAC3) or reclocking device before DAC (Audioengr makes one). Separate reclocking device has advantage of giving wider choice of DACs available. I like the sound of Benchmark with my gear, but changing it to non-reclocking DAC might require reclocking device or completely different method of delivery, like USB, that brings own problems (injecting computer noise).

Steve, Ethernet directly into the DAC?  Not sure how that works. I run Ethernet from my Roon server to a Roon endpoint/renderer but then I2S directly into the DAC.

Actually the process of pulling the bits off the CD disk is an analog process, not a digital process.   However, once it passes through the comparator, it is indeed a digital signal.  For this reason, I feel a lot more confident that the music from ripped CDs and converted into a wave file using a bit perfect software, will sound better than the CD in a player if a bit error occurs during reading of the CD.  If a bit error doesn't occur, they should sound the same, assuming the same DAC is used.  Then again, I'd bet if you are using a music server, odds are you have a way better DAC than the stock one in the CD player.

Steve N did state something very important - that digital cable should be terminated at 75 Ohms and it should have a characteristic impedance of 75 Ohms.   A lot of expensive digital cables don't state whether they are controlled impedance cables or what that impedance is.  I suspect some are but I don't buy them unless they have stated impedance.  Granted, 44KHz is not overly fast for terminated transmission lines but termination is never a bad thing in data transmission.    Besides, a properly terminated line with the proper transmitter impedance and characteristic cable nullifies the capacitance in the cable and the line becomes a purely resistive circuit. 

There is a minor problem is the RCA connector - it isn't possible to get a 75 Ohm characteristic impedance and maintain the physical size of the RCA connector.   BNC's do it just fine but not RCA's.  However, as I mentioned above, 44 KHz is not overly fast for data transmission so this may not matter a great deal.    I use an optical cable for this reason.

Check out this article on data transmission using rusty barb wire at 100MHz data transmission.   That is a data rate about 2300 times faster than our CD data line.  I did see that demonstration at the convention and I chuckled a bit, what a great marketing concept!  http://www.sigcon.com/Pubs/edn/SoGoodBarbedWire.htm

Spatialking,  reflections in digital cable, from impedance boundary, are related to highest rate of change and not the frequency of the signal.  The rule of thumb says, that if signal propagation is longer than 1/8 of the fastest transition time than cable might have reflections.  For example, transitions in typical transport are about 25ns.  Divided by 8 it will make around 3ns.  Since signal moves in cable at about 5ns/m then 3ns corresponds to about 0.6m.  Any cable longer than that (including all internal connections of the source and receiver) will behave like transmission line (might have reflections).  I would feel comfortable with non-impedance-matched cables much shorter than 12"  (I would try to get it under 8").  Otherwise you have to match characteristic impedance of everything on the way and it is not always possible - like in the case of RCA connector, you mentioned.  Since reflections can happen from any impedance boundary it is important to match, as close as possible, of impedance of anything on the way.  That's why good digital cable can be great in one system but poor in another.