Resource use spike when audio playback begins, Windows 7

When I begin playing an audio file on the computer, CPU and memory use spike (I think the CPU goes up to 50%) for the next 2-3 minutes. The audio player software hangs during that time, and no sound comes out.
After the 2 or 3 minutes have passed, audio playback resource use drops to normal and remains that way.
The usage spike happens only the first time the audio player is used after booting. After that, it operates normally even if the program is closed and reopened, or if another audio player is used.
The problem occurs in the same way no matter which audio player I use (foobar2000, mpxplay, 1by1) and no matter what file format is played (mp3, FLAC, ALAC).

The Task Manager seems to show that audiodg.exe is using a lot of CPU during this time. I say "seems" because the CPU number under audiodg.exe seems to go up to 7 or so, but I haven't seen it reach anywhere near 50 or 100.
All the Enhancements for playback devices are unchecked.

This problem has begun within the past year, I think, on a 4-year-old computer. I haven't changed any audio settings manually.

This isn't a fatal problem, but it does make my computer unusable for 3 minutes each day. I'd be very grateful for any suggestions.

Thanks for the suggestion!
It is true that the computer could use more RAM, so I'll order another 2GB to get up to the 32-bit Win 7 limit of 4GB.

But is that all it could be? Just curious since the lag time is the same whether or not other programs are open, and regardless of the quality of the audio file or the memory footprint of the software used to play it. I would think those would have some impact if it were just a question of not enough RAM.
Though I'm happy to admit being very much an amateur here.