Theoretical question about how CD's work

Short answer: yes.

If you want to get a better grasp of the process you would need to understand the basic concepts of ANALOG and DIGITAL. Sampling is the process that takes you from Analog to Digital. You take a "sample" of an analog event and turn it into a number, a digit. This is sampling.

There are 2 key elemnts to how sampling is done: how often do you take the sample and how precisely you do that. The Red Book audio standard (the one CDs are made out of) calls for samples to be done 44.100 times a second and with a precision of 16 bits. So within those boudaries you can build an excat replica of the input signal by any mean, including the Monkey you mention. This is what would be called "bit perfect" in that the bits are exactly copied. The copy the monkey would have made would be absolutely non recognizable form the original and if played on the same playback system would sound 100% the same.

There are many misconceptins around, I'll mention a few:

QUITE The encoded data - the pits and lands do not actually represent digital data, not really UNQUOTE

Yes they absolutely do !

QUOTE The series of pits and lands, their various lengths and the transitions from pits to lands and lands to pits are converted to meaningful digital data downstream. So, since the lengths of pits and lands is variable precise timing is critical ... UNQUOTE

Precise timing is indeed critical in that the samples need to be payed back at exactly 44.1 KHz. But that is implicit in the standard, NOT HARDCODED in the digital domain !

BTW your it's an intersting question

You can start here:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sampling_(signal_processing)

And spend more or less the rest of your life digging ! Enjoy !
Mark.

Nurse! Thorazine! Man down! Costco hasn’t been paying attention. In the case of CDs the 1s and 0s are represented by transitions not by the ON or OFF. As I already explained it’s more complicated than you apparently think. The link I provided yesterday includes the allowable sets of data determined by both transitions AND the length of pits and lands.

Also, you are incorrect that - in the Case of CDs - the digital process is reliable. It is only *partially* reliable 🤭 within limits that are set by failure of the CD playback system to deal properly with scattered laser light and vibration, internal and external. Not to mention the obvious failure of Reed Solomon error codes and the laser servo feedback system to correct all errors. Wake up and smell the coffee! ☕️

Even CD players that are *isolated* have difficulty with laser reading the data on the disc because the *CD itself* is wobbling and fluttering. The CDs are often not perfectly round and the disc is often not absolutely level during play, which exacerbates this CD vibration problem. Yes, CD Compact Disc “works” well enough for those who don’t mind generic, thin, bass shy, brittle, honky, synthetic, congealed sound.

Ah snake oil accusations took their time to get into this thread ... amazing! Next ... 0 and 1 sound the same in any cable no matter what ... stand by ... oh dear

About CDs did you know they binary code is pressed onto the polycarbonate disc and yes a fine powered lubricant is used which does go into the surface layer , a product the cable company sells  called Art de sone. You sprayon not messy and wipe off removes the residue and alllows the laser to read better 
and music sounds for sure cleaner, and I do thisalso before ripping a disc .
you can hear the difference .
one thing for sure I experimented with a properly burned  in copy sounds better 
then the original copy especially when using top blanks like a maxel blue color 
cd. ,why forburning the code in ismuch more defined and easier for the laser to read and theblue make up allows less light scatter. It isnoticably better sounding 
but a pain in the butt considering I have everything on a Solid State drive.
i have proventhisto others Many timesin the past .today I just look for quality 
remasters and apply the Art de son to everydisc before I rip it 
and use either Wav, or the highest uncompressed #8 on db power amp 
for ripping which is a great program and great for converting any disc format 
even from DSD  to high quality standard if your player don’t read DSD recordings.