Just to let every one know, Windows Updated can cause the audio settings to alter, so check after update.
Yes, in particular when you use DirectSound and make changes to the default playback device in Windows Control Panel. That’s because with DirectSound the IDs of the sound cards are their position in the playback devices list, and that will get mixed up when the default device changes (the default device is always ID 1).
With WASAPI, the ID is a unique identifier (GUID), but that can also change when you update the driver, or plug an external audio device into a different USB port.
Bottom line: Never touch a running system. (But Windows updates are essential.)