Microsoft has confirmed that the January 2025 Windows security updates are breaking audio playback on some systems with external DACs (digital-to-analog converters). DACs are commonly used at home ...

You are more likely to experience this issue if you are using a USB 1.0 audio driver-based DAC in your audio setup.” Currently, there is no fix for the bug.

This is triggered by January 2025 Windows security updates on systems with USB audio devices when using a DAC (digital-to-analog converter) audio driver based on USB 1.0.