Front panel combo audio jack Realtek detection issues (win 11, MasterBox NR600, MSI B650)

I have a Cooler Master MasterBox NR600 case with a combined 1x 3.5mm Headset Jack (Audio+Mic) on the front panel, running Windows 11.

I recently upgraded my system and I am now running an MSI B650 MS-7E26 motherboard. The HD Audio is securely plugged into the JAUD1 slot on the motherboard.

I made sure I have the latest Realtek HD Universal Driver installed.

When I plug in my HyperX Cloud Alpha Gaming Headset, Realtek Audio Console pops up twice, asking me which device I plugged in, and it only offers Headphone and Microphone options (both are wrong).

As a result, my microphone does not work. In the MSI-branded Realtek Audio Console (v1.53.391.0), I have the following advanced settings:

Playback Device – Make front and real output devices playback two different audio streams simultaneously

Recording Device – Tie up same type of input jacks, i.e. line-on or microphone, as an input device

I also tried changing the Analog settings (now I have “disable front jack detection” and I unchecked “Enable auto popup dialog, when device has been plugged in”) but to no avail.

In Sound Settings – Recording, “Realtek(R) Audio” microphone is still marked as “Not plugged in”.

What’s interesting is that after I reinstalled Realtek HD Universal Driver, it worked briefly (no detection popup even when it was enabled, both headphones and mike worked on the headset) but it no longer does. The headset works fine on other computers.

Not sure what to try next. Does this feel like a hardware problem, or a software one?