I would like to draw attention to the fact that it is necessary to change a pair.
There is evidence to support that replacing just one mss32 gives ostensible stability.

Regular freezes/crashes of the game are associated with a bug in the playback of sounds.

Especially strong when "Compatibility WindowsXP(sp2/sp3)"
Use "Compatibility Windows95/98"

The user reports that after updating mss32.dll and MP3DEC.ASI the problem was solved.
caesar3.heavengames.com/cgi-bin/forums/display.cgi?action=ct&f=9,7677,,20
old files
CRC32:0CF075E4 mss32.dll (Version:5.0r)
CRC32:1533C2F2 MP3DEC.ASI

A proven pair to replace mss32.dll+Mp3dec.asi (from Zeus+Poseidon v2.1)
CRC32:9BD81E9D mss32.dll (Version:6.0m)
CRC32:FA4BC870 Mp3dec.asi
wdfiles . ru/e11658

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DirectX 9.0с Runtime Pack (June 2010)
www.microsoft.com/en-au/download/details.aspx?id=8109

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When you have more than 2 speakers (2.1 or 5.1 or 7.1 sound)
Also, modern sound cards can work in surround sound emulation mode.
Older games don't know what surround sound is.
Download "Version 0.12", unpack and move to the game folder.
www.indirectsound.com/downloads.html
(or "Version 0.14" with EAX=off by default)
This dsound.dll replaces the native one from DirectX, like a wrapper, reconciles the old with the new.