Sometimes after boot, the audio system restores volume settings incorrectly and
enables channel "balance" for my USB headset even though "balance" was turned
off at the last system shutdown. This results in an annoying volume difference
between the left and right headset channels where one plays normally and the
other is really quiet.

This morning, I could not even turn the "balance" feature off in KDE audio
settings. When I unchecked the "Balance" button, it would appear to turn off
but the channel volume did not equalize as it normally would. When I switched
away to another settings panel and then returned to audio settings, "Balance"
button would be checked again.

I can't tell whether this is a bug in KDE or PulseAudio. 
pulseaudio-17.0-3.2
kmix-24.02.2-1.1
Headphones: Plantronics C3220
I've had this issue over multiple versions of KDE and PulseAudio.