Well, after getting used to FLAC, it became easy for me to spot the difference. As it my ears knew what frequencies to look for...
Songs on Youtube even stopped being enjoyable...At that point I even wished I didn't start listening to FLAC files...
I've started suffering from hearing loss this year and it is now sometimes hard for me to tell and sometimes actually easier. Lower bit rates feel weird and in my ears, gives some feel of discomfort. And really low rates can even drive me crazy.
On the other hand, I don't feel like songs on Yotubue sound horrible anymore.
Just telling what I feel. This could be all-psychological though.