That's why they make chocolate and vanilla George, I have no problem swapping the 5V audio amps. 
I've learned to use my hot air tool on the 3V board amplifiers, that does make them easier to swap, but still more fiddly than the 5V ones.
You have to be kidding about the proximity of other chips on the 5V amp, the proximity of other legs on the closely spaced 3V amp are certainly more challenging using a soldering iron. 
I always check the speaker and wiring first, and a feature or factory reset isn't a bad idea to make sure the audio isn't disabled in software.
Obviously, techs have the test set and can quickly determine if the board has a flaw, but I suspect that's not the go-to solution for most folks when they're trying to chase down this issue.
