Update, 14 July 2022: Had a number of good responses, but no clear solution. Staying with my work-around for now. Thanks, everyone! (Not sure what the protocol is with respect to post-deletion; I'll leave this post as is.)
I'm looking for a hands-on analogue designer equipped with, and well-versed in, at least an oscilloscope. Freelancer sites are filled with EEs without lab equipment, and that won't do for this task; on-circuit tests and measurements are pre-requisites. And, their ideas I already knew anyway!
The task is non-dramatic enough for a competent analogue designer: A micro-controller controls two sources which feed the same speaker, one amplified, the other not; there must be no interference of one on the other, and no adverse effects on the larger circuitry of the PCB. The scale is 3-12v and up to 20W. The two sources are off, for most of the time, and never operate simultaneously.
One approach may be to combine the two sources, using the micro-controller as a single source, with the amplification-level controlled by it. For this, you'll need to be conversant with typical amplifier circuits. (Off-the-shelf dynamic-gain amplifiers are, nowadays, expensive and out of stock!) ... Frankly, this is the approach I am seeking now, as complete isolation has failed, in practice!
You'll need to set up your proposed circuit, to test. You will later test it on the larger PCB, to verify that current-draw does not affect the larger functionality. (I test the system-level functionality, which may or may not immediately reveal this circuit's underlying symptoms.) Even a working circuit will need to be tweaked, once integrated into the PCB. And, yes, as in all work nowadays, we may need to change your proposed components, subject to stock availability!
I emphasize again: This is not an academic exercise, so don't come proposing a generic diode, relay, transistor, XOR etc!
A flat rate would be preferred, with respect to pay, and availability is expected to be immediate and substantive. Propose your payment mechanism, which can even be a freelancer site, as a de facto escrow.
You may post generic questions _here_, but details will be provided via only email. Thanks for reading. (And Thank you, Dave, for the forum and all your videos!)