I am grateful that James found a way. Kudos to the team.
First, I have often referenced DFX and the mini panel. Its return would solve this ‘problem’. It allowed for skins to be small enough to be unobtrusive if always on top. The current ‘mini’ panel does contain the necessary control but is obtrusive.
And I just discovered does not have an always on top.
I use a trackball. Currently, three mouse actions plus scrolling are necessary to switch output from the systray. The actual control is difficult to target with a mouse click. The sequence of mouse movements is complex and if a particular left click misses and fails to hold the sub-menu open, or that click is not employed and the scroll rolls off the control, the entire menu disappears.
I have experimented with various mouse/hardware control options. F’ng Windblows. Solutions are not consistent across configurations/platforms. This particular annoyance is sufficient to cause me to consider purchasing a $100 Logitech to replace my $50 Logitech because $100 gets me an extra button for ctrl+shift+w assignment. A convict and a drug addict took a big chunk of my pay and this Marine would rather pry a new mouse from a dead fascist’s hand than to spend another nickel. This feature might keep me out of the news.
If ‘Playback Device Select’ sub-menu is raised one level (sub-menu eliminated, contents listed), the request is sufficiently addressed. I do not foresee menu clutter (what IS the maximum number of output devices IRL?)
Is the middle click function available for assignment to ‘set output to default’?