Sound applet settings won't apply until manually adjusted

Distribution

Mint 22.1 x86_64

Package version

Cinnamon 6.4.8

Graphics hardware in use

No response

Frequency

Always

Bug description

After a reboot, most aspects of the audio settings set in the Sound applet do not apply until they are manually adjusted. Default output and input devices are saved, but volume and balance are not, despite the sliders visually appearing to be in the correct spot. Volume is only corrected after switching the output device, and balance is only corrected after adjusting the slider while audio is playing (making any changes while audio is not playing does not have any effect). The volume in particular is set very low on reboot, with the slider (starting at 100%) only able to make it even quieter; the correct maximum volume is only set after changing devices; i.e., the volume is quiet after reboot and changing devices immediately restores it to a proper volume. The behavior of both volume and balance is somehow different.

Audio information via inxi -a:

Audio:
  Device-1: NVIDIA GP106 High Definition Audio driver: snd_hda_intel
  Device-2: AMD Family 17h HD Audio driver: snd_hda_intel
  Device-3: SteelSeries ApS Arctis 1 Wireless
    driver: hid-generic,snd-usb-audio,usbhid type: USB
  Device-4: Blue Microphones Yeti Nano
    driver: hid-generic,snd-usb-audio,usbhid type: USB
  Device-5: MacroSilicon driver: hid-generic,snd-usb-audio,usbhid,uvcvideo
    type: USB
  API: ALSA v: k6.8.0-64-generic status: kernel-api
  Server-1: PipeWire v: 1.0.5 status: active

The SteelSeries Wireless headset properly remains my default output, and the Yeti Nano properly remains the default input, in spite of it not being first in the list, so it seems the defaults are saving and applying correctly.

Steps to reproduce

1. Adjust sound settings, including volume and audio balance.
2. Restart the computer.
3. The volume is significantly quieter despite being set to 100%, and adjusting the slider only makes it even quieter. Additionally, the audio balance remains at default despite the slider being adjusted, and only properly updates if the slider is adjusted while audio plays.

Expected behavior

These audio settings should be properly saved and applied after reboot.

Additional information

This is an incredibly fresh install; only set it up about a week ago. The issue has been present the entire time, though it took me a while to notice and identify it. I'm also nowhere near an expert in these things, so it very well might be an issue with Pipewire somehow. Wrangling these settings after every reboot is getting annoying, so any insight would be appreciated.

Start by reproducing the behavior in the Cinnamon Sound applet after reboot, using the reported Mint 22.1, Cinnamon 6.4.8, PipeWire, and ALSA setup. Compare saved volume and balance with their effective audio values before and after changing devices or adjusting sliders. Done means both settings apply correctly without manual adjustment.