You don’t need a $10,000 system to hear the difference, but you do need decent headphones or monitors. On a standard 16-bit CD or Spotify stream (both lossy or CD-quality), the nuanced spatial effects on reputation are flattened.
The album's high-resolution FLAC version is highly valued for its dense, synthetic production. The 24-bit depth allows for better dynamic range and clarity in the complex "nocturnal" soundscapes created by executive producer Taylor Swift and co-producers Jack Antonoff Max Martin taylor swift reputation 2017 pop flac 2444
From an engineering perspective, reputation is a "loud" album, utilizing significant dynamic range compression to create a wall of sound. You don’t need a $10,000 system to hear
FLAC is a lossless format, meaning no data is discarded. Even as audio technology evolves, you possess the master-quality data. You don’t need a $10