[dreamcompiler]

The number of ways analog audio can work (and equivalently, fail) is small: Mic vs. Line, Power vs. Voltage, Voltage vs. Current, and Balanced vs. Unbalanced. In practice, it's not a big problem because of connector conventions and smart signal detection.

Contrast this situation with digital audio, where the number of modes is exponentially larger by your own admission. Analog audio is more reliable.

This doesn't mean digital couldn't be more reliable; it's just that it hasn't typically been designed with the necessary metadata as part of the protocol.