FLAC is different. It is lossless. When you rip a CD or vinyl record to FLAC, you are creating a bit-perfect clone of the source. No data is lost. If you were to burn that FLAC file back onto a CD and play it in a stereo, it would be sonically identical to the original disc.
When you download a "Metallica - Enter Sandman German Import -FLAC" file from a verified P2P sharing community or rip it yourself, you are listening to a dynamic range that modern remasters have destroyed. Metallica - Enter Sandman German Import -FLAC M...
This article explores the significance of that specific search term. Why does the "German Import" matter? What makes FLAC the gold standard? And why does the "M..." (often truncated in filenames) matter to the legacy of the Black Album? FLAC is different
Why go through the trouble of ripping a CD from 1991 to FLAC? Why not just listen to the MP3 or stream it? No data is lost