Sims Voice Audio Lagging & Repeating

I've noticed this since I started playing the Sims 4 again on Monday (after a break). I think it's from a new update. Quite often now, when my sims talk, the voice audio gets broken and/or bits get repeated.

I've tested this with my mods and cc disabled, with a different audio device and after repairing the game on the EA app. Nothing fixed it.

My laptop is well above the required specs for Sims 4, and I've never experienced this issue before.

Edit (November 2, 2025):

I tested this again yesterday (while using my headphones and having mods on). When I start the game after restarting my computer, with no windows in the background, it happens less. Initially, it hardly happens at all, but after a few minutes it starts happening a bit more. (When I launch the game normally, often with a browser in the background, it the voice audio starts stuttering almost immediately.) 

I don't know what the issue is. My laptop seems fine for playing the sims. I have an intel ultra 7 core and 16GB of ram. I didn't have this issue before either.