The most common audio problem I’ve run into with games seems to involve background music. Honestly, I often don’t even notice most background music when I’m fully focused on playing, but when it’s not there, I notice. This happened repeatedly in Red Dead Redemption and Dragon Age II. (Maybe not coincidentally, both are used copies.) Like, I’d be happily playing, and then I’d notice that there was no music during a particular scene or battle. I knew there was music because I’d played the sections before, so it was strange to just hear the sound effects only.

Thankfully, I’ve never run into any voice issues or anything like what you described in Super Mario Sunshine. I can only imagine the awful sound that emanated from your TV.