ENVY m6 -- sound playing from headphones and speakers (with all new issues!)

I have an ENVY m6 with Beats Audio running on Windows 8.

Recently, my laptop started playing audio out of the default speakers and headphone jack at the same time. The major problem is that it kills the sound quality when this happens-- when it cuts in on the default speakers, it almost halves the sound protruding from the second-party speakers or the earbuds.

This is HIGHLY annoying and rather than doing a quick-fix, I'd rather get down to the real issue.

Thanks!