x17 R1, Windows 11, audio stops if no app is playing any sound

I am so tired. Me and my Grandma have contacted support about this issue multiple times and even got assist from a technician with RemoteAssist, but it is going nowhere.

My laptop has this issue where, if no application is playing any sound at all, then after a little bit (like say 30 seconds) the audio will stop working completely and the only way to restore it is to either change the audio output or the audio format through the Realtek Audio Console. Even after restoring it, the audio will continue to cease functioning entirely after 30 seconds should there be no sound actively playing on the computer.

I've tried reinstalling drivers, installing updates, updating the BIOS, and etc., but nothing is fixing the issue. The closest thing was the RemoteAssist session with the technician where he installed updates and Alienware apps for me which seemed to have fix the audio cutting out issue for a little while, but after plugging in my external speakers and external hard drive, the audio started cutting out again after a bit of no sound actively playing.

This is getting very tiresome and irritating for me. We've already sent my laptop to get repaired and we made it crystal clear that this audio issue was one of the glaring problems that needed to be fixed, but they only fixed the issues with the display. We already requested a replacement because support is taking an eternity to even respond and I am tired of not being able to use a good laptop without a major caveat such as this. Please, does anyone know how to fix this issue? It's most likely not driver related so please don't suggest that I reinstall the drivers for the millionth time, although I may try that again regardless just because I simply have no clue what caused this to happen in the first place.

Thanks very much in advance.