For those who decide to move forward, here is a simple, effective method using yt-dlp .
What do you use? (Windows, macOS, or Linux)
While you can't "upscale" YouTube's compressed audio into true CD-quality lossless, using a YouTube to FLAC converter
16-bit / 44.1 kHz Lossless PCM (Can be ripped to FLAC via Exact Audio Copy) Summary: The Best Workflow for YouTube Audio