Windows 11 Audio bug - Marathon not using "Default device" for audio out

I am having the most perplexing audio problem with Marathon on Windows 11.  It just started happening tonight.  I have USB headset, specifically the Logitech A50X.  When I set Windows to use the built in Realtek Audio (my PC speakers) instead of the headset, I can hear everything but Marathon through my speakers.  Local media files play through the speakers, my browser plays through the speakers, and other games play through the speakers.  But for some bizarre reason, Marathon will only play its audio out through the headset.   For example I can simultaneously hear YouTube videos playing through the speakers while Marathon's audio is playing through the headset.

I have tried the following...

• Reboot the system
• Update the audio drivers to the latest by reinstalling them from the vendor website
• Restarted the Windows Audio service
• Verifying the Marathon game files through Steam
• Uninstalling Marathon and reinstalling it
• Doing several google searches looking for solutions, none of which has worked
• Manually checked the Sound output settings multiple times over to confirm that  "RealTek Digital Output" is the default playback device
• Toggled the default audio device back and forth between devices to see if I can get the Marathon audio to "unstick" from the headset

The only thing I can do to force Marathon to play through my speakers and not the headset is to manually disable the headset from the Audio Output devices in Windows.  If it is anything other than disabled, then Marathon is for some bizarre reason always routing its audio through the headset instead of where it should be going. This should not be necessary.  All other software is behaving and is correctly routing its audio to the correct default device.  It is only Marathon that is bypassing the default device and playing through the headset regardless of how the system is configured to tell it to do otherwise!

I've been playing Marathon since the Server Slam and this just started happening.  I've never had this happen with any other game either.  It's a new novel defect that is really bizarre to me.  I need help!