USB DAC Disconnect + DirectX Crash when launching EA Games (BF/Madden/EAFC)

Hi everyone,

I have a very specific and extremely annoying audio issue with EA games, and I would like to know if anyone else has experienced something similar.

My setup:

Windows 11
Intel i5-14600 KF
MSI B660 Pro-A
NVIDIA RTX 4070 Ti GPU
HyperX Cloud II headset
Sharkoon Gaming DAC Pro S V2
I also own a second Sharkoon DAC Pro S V2, and both behave exactly the same

The issue:

Whenever I start EA titles like Madden 26, EA FC or Battlefield, my Sharkoon USB DAC completely disconnects from Windows for a few seconds and then reconnects. It is not just a short audio dropout. The device actually disappears and comes back, like it was unplugged and plugged in again.

This usually happens right when the game starts or shortly after the game becomes visible. Sometimes it also happens randomly in the middle of a match.

Additional problem:

Whenever I try to switch to windowed mode (or sometimes borderless), the game crashes with a DirectX error. In some cases, it even freezes the entire PC for a few seconds before recovering or crashing completely.

Important details:

This only happens with EA games.

YouTube, Spotify, Discord, FurMark, stress tests and other games are completely stable.
Other USB devices do not disconnect.
A HyperX USB sound card stays connected and does not have this issue.
The Sharkoon DAC works normally outside EA games.
I tested two identical Sharkoon DAC Pro S V2 units and both have the exact same problem.

Things I already tried:

Full Windows clean install
Windows 11 Pro / Pro N testing
Media Feature Pack installed
DirectX repaired/reinstalled
NVIDIA drivers tested, including older drivers
DDU clean install
BIOS reset/defaults
Latest BIOS
Different USB ports, including rear USB 2.0
USB power saving disabled
Exclusive audio mode disabled
48 kHz fixed in Windows
Onboard audio disabled
NVIDIA audio disabled
Different refresh rates and fullscreen/windowed testing
CPU undervolt/stock settings tested
XMP considered/tested
No Discord, no Spotify, no overlays, no extra tools
Tested games with zero problems:
Overwatch
Marathon
Counter-Strike
Starfield
Dead by Daylight
ARC Raiders
Metro 2033

The strange part:

The problem started suddenly. Before that, the same DAC and same PC worked fine with EA games. After that point (2 weeks ago), the issue became worse: at first the sound disconnected randomly during gameplay, and now it happens almost every time an EA game starts.

Sharkoon support told me that some games can reinitialize USB sound cards and drivers when they start, and that this is caused by the game and cannot be changed by them.

So my question is:

Can EA / EA AntiCheat / Javelin or the EA game audio initialization cause certain USB audio devices to reset or disconnect completely?

Also, were there any major updates or changes to EA AntiCheat (Javelin) or the EA App/Launcher in the last 2/3 or 4 weeks that could be related to this behavior?

This really looks like EA games are triggering a USB audio reinitialization that some DACs cannot handle properly.

Again: this does not happen in any non-EA game or normal desktop use. Only EA titles trigger it.

Would appreciate any help, similar experiences

or confirmation if this is a known issue.

For reference, here is an example screenshot of the DirectX error I am getting when the issue occurs: