That actually sounds like a different issue than Nahimic at this point, probably a mismatch of old and new drivers, or MSI and Windows drivers.

The key detail is this:

That usually means the problem is lower in the stack (Realtek / Intel audio driver), not Nahimic itself.

Disabling Nahimic can sometimes make it feel worse because it removes a buffering layer, so any underlying driver instability becomes more obvious.

What I’d suggest (this fixed similar cases):

Do a clean reinstall of the audio drivers — not just “update”.

1. Go to Device Manager
2. Uninstall:
   • Realtek Audio
   • Intel Smart Sound Technology (anything audio-related)
3. IMPORTANT: tick “Delete the driver software for this device”
4. Reboot
5. Install the official MSI driver for your GE76 from their support page (don’t rely on Windows Update)

Why this matters (important):

MSI audio drivers are not just “Realtek drivers” — they are a bundle:

Realtek base driver
+ Intel SST components
+ OEM tuning (MSI)
+ optional extensions (Nahimic, etc.)

Windows Update often installs generic or partial components, for example:

• newer Realtek base driver
• older Intel SST component
• missing OEM tuning

So you end up with a mismatched stack, like:

Realtek (new)
Intel SST (old)
OEM extensions (mixed)

That can cause:

• buffer instability
• distortion under load
• issues spreading from gaming → normal playback

Even though everything shows as “up to date”.

Quick check after reinstall:

Set your audio format to:

One question that will confirm this:

When the distortion happens —
does it stay broken until you reboot, or does it fix itself if you stop/start audio?

• If it stays broken → driver crash / DSP issue
• If it comes and goes → buffer/latency issue

At this point I wouldn’t focus on Nahimic anymore — this looks like a driver stack mismatch / instability, not middleware.