How to judge conservative audio cleanup

I am choosing a generated instrumental loop for a spoken episode, and the quiet pauses reveal a thin metallic texture. My concern is the final balance beneath speech, where a small texture may behave differently than it does alone. Another section might avoid the texture, though I would have to adjust the timing of the opening narration. I came across remove ai artifacts from audio while looking for ways to frame the decision. I would rather define the listening test first than make several changes and lose track of their effects. Would you compare the original and a repaired copy beneath the same stretch of narration? The comparison would use the same balance and a pause where the background remains audible on its own. I could also check the isolated loop for changes in percussion detail and the stereo image. Which listening cue would persuade you that this background loop needs further work?