Put on a decent pair of open-back headphones (Sennheiser HD600 or similar) and an external DAC. A/B test the Adele Skyfall 2012 FLAC against a 256kbps AAC from YouTube Music. Here is what you will hear:
If you have a file labeled "better," you might be looking for a version that isn't the standard radio edit. Interesting trivia regarding the different mixes: adeleskyfall single2012flac better
Listen to the final 45 seconds: the orchestra rises, then decays with cymbal wash. In lossy audio, the decay is truncated—it sounds like someone turned a volume knob down suddenly. In FLAC, the natural reverb tail of the AIR Lyndhurst Hall (where it was recorded) continues into the noise floor. That air around the instruments is what makes the “Skyfall” single feel cinematic rather than claustrophobic. Put on a decent pair of open-back headphones