diff --git a/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/RetroAchievements/RCheevos.Http.cs b/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/RetroAchievements/RCheevos.Http.cs
index 089704b4f9..84138d4286 100644
--- a/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/RetroAchievements/RCheevos.Http.cs
+++ b/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/RetroAchievements/RCheevos.Http.cs
@@ -1,28 +1,25 @@
 using System;
 using System.Net.Http;
-using System.Text;
 using System.Threading.Tasks;
 
 namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 {
 	public partial class RCheevos
 	{
-		private static readonly HttpClient _http = new();
+		private static readonly HttpClient _http = new() { DefaultRequestHeaders = { ConnectionClose = true } };
 
 		private static async Task<byte[]> HttpGet(string url)
 		{
-			_http.DefaultRequestHeaders.ConnectionClose = false;
 			var response = await _http.GetAsync(url).ConfigureAwait(false);
 			if (response.IsSuccessStatusCode)
 			{
 				return await response.Content.ReadAsByteArrayAsync().ConfigureAwait(false);
 			}
-			return null;
+			return new byte[1];
 		}
 
 		private static async Task<byte[]> HttpPost(string url, string post)
 		{
-			_http.DefaultRequestHeaders.ConnectionClose = true;
 			HttpResponseMessage response;
 			try
 			{
@@ -30,11 +27,12 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 			}
 			catch (Exception e)
 			{
-				return Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes(e.ToString()); // bleh
+				Console.WriteLine(e);
+				return new byte[1];
 			}
 			if (!response.IsSuccessStatusCode)
 			{
-				return null;
+				return new byte[1];
 			}
 			return await response.Content.ReadAsByteArrayAsync().ConfigureAwait(false);
 		}
diff --git a/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/RetroAchievements/RCheevos.Login.cs b/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/RetroAchievements/RCheevos.Login.cs
index 5c59de9fdd..31bcc47658 100644
--- a/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/RetroAchievements/RCheevos.Login.cs
+++ b/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/RetroAchievements/RCheevos.Login.cs
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 				config.RAUsername = Username;
 				config.RAToken = ApiToken;
 				InitLoginDone.Set();
-				if (EnableSoundEffects) _loginSound.Play();
+				if (EnableSoundEffects) _loginSound.PlayNoExceptions();
 				return;
 			}
 
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 
 			if (LoggedIn && EnableSoundEffects)
 			{
-				_loginSound.Play();
+				_loginSound.PlayNoExceptions();
 			}
 		}
 
diff --git a/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/RetroAchievements/RCheevos.Sound.cs b/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/RetroAchievements/RCheevos.Sound.cs
index 8c09fb407d..b6fd226035 100644
--- a/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/RetroAchievements/RCheevos.Sound.cs
+++ b/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/RetroAchievements/RCheevos.Sound.cs
@@ -18,4 +18,18 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 
 		private bool EnableSoundEffects { get; set; }
 	}
+
+	public static class SoundPlayerExtensions
+	{
+		public static void PlayNoExceptions(this SoundPlayer sound)
+		{
+			try
+			{
+				sound.Play();
+			}
+			catch
+			{
+			}
+		}
+	}
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/RetroAchievements/RCheevos.cs b/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/RetroAchievements/RCheevos.cs
index 9d2e605432..ea7569bbe4 100644
--- a/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/RetroAchievements/RCheevos.cs
+++ b/src/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/RetroAchievements/RCheevos.cs
@@ -436,7 +436,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 							var prefix = HardcoreMode ? "[HARDCORE] " : "";
 							_mainForm.AddOnScreenMessage($"{prefix}Achievement Unlocked!");
 							_mainForm.AddOnScreenMessage(cheevo.Description);
-							if (EnableSoundEffects) _unlockSound.Play();
+							if (EnableSoundEffects) _unlockSound.PlayNoExceptions();
 
 							if (cheevo.IsOfficial)
 							{
@@ -457,7 +457,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 							var prefix = HardcoreMode ? "[HARDCORE] " : "";
 							_mainForm.AddOnScreenMessage($"{prefix}Achievement Primed!");
 							_mainForm.AddOnScreenMessage(cheevo.Description);
-							if (EnableSoundEffects) _infoSound.Play();
+							if (EnableSoundEffects) _infoSound.PlayNoExceptions();
 						}
 
 						break;
@@ -476,7 +476,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 								CurrentLboard = lboard;
 								_mainForm.AddOnScreenMessage($"Leaderboard Attempt Started!");
 								_mainForm.AddOnScreenMessage(lboard.Description);
-								if (EnableSoundEffects) _lboardStartSound.Play();
+								if (EnableSoundEffects) _lboardStartSound.PlayNoExceptions();
 							}
 						}
 
@@ -498,7 +498,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 
 								_mainForm.AddOnScreenMessage($"Leaderboard Attempt Failed! ({lboard.Score})");
 								_mainForm.AddOnScreenMessage(lboard.Description);
-								if (EnableSoundEffects) _lboardFailedSound.Play();
+								if (EnableSoundEffects) _lboardFailedSound.PlayNoExceptions();
 							}
 
 							lboard.SetScore(0);
@@ -536,7 +536,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 
 								_mainForm.AddOnScreenMessage($"Leaderboard Attempt Complete! ({lboard.Score})");
 								_mainForm.AddOnScreenMessage(lboard.Description);
-								if (EnableSoundEffects) _unlockSound.Play();
+								if (EnableSoundEffects) _unlockSound.PlayNoExceptions();
 							}
 						}
 
@@ -563,7 +563,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 							var prefix = HardcoreMode ? "[HARDCORE] " : "";
 							_mainForm.AddOnScreenMessage($"{prefix}Achievement Unprimed!");
 							_mainForm.AddOnScreenMessage(cheevo.Description);
-							if (EnableSoundEffects) _infoSound.Play();
+							if (EnableSoundEffects) _infoSound.PlayNoExceptions();
 						}
 
 						break;