So in another post, I found the solution for the issue I was experiencing - exactly as the OP describes, Audio mixer settings as well.
My solution, was to head into sound settings in sim, and DISABLE:
-Simulate Headphones
I toggled that setting to off, and BOOM. Fixed.
And now that I know it… it makes complete sense.
No issue with the sim, it was an issue with the operator! 
-Pete