It seems to be a hardware problem with the mute switch. I am just
speculating here but the devices which caused this problem for me were
the devices that I kept on my windowsills. This might not be the case
for you. It might be a complete red herring...
Everything i found online said the switch had gone bad so the home mini
went in the trash. So I guess at the very least it's no longer an active
annoyance
