I noticed your Dell (I assume a model XPS) has an internal sound card, the Realtek. Can you confirm that the audio conversion rate is set at 44.1K on this device also?

Don't want to be a broken record, but I have owned several Dell XPS machines for music making and the potential for mismatch was always possible. Also keep in mind that Windows updates can and will change these setting at times. So I am very familar with cracking audio noise when these are mismatched.

I run Win 11 on my current non-Dell machine with both external MOTU sound device (all things music making) connected to my audio monitors and an internal Realtek sound card to external PC speakers (just for Youtube and SoundCloud and other PC apps). The conversion rate can be different across different device pairs but must match within the same device pair.

BIAB – 2025, Reaper (current), i7-12700F Processor, 32GB DDR4-3200MHz RAM, 1TB WD Black NVMe SSD, 2TB WDC Blue SSD, 1TB WD Blue, 2 TB SK NVMe, 6 TB External, Motu Audio Express 6x6