Igor,
Thank you for your assistance. I haven't had any luck with trying out different SDs. I originally tried an A2 SD by mistake, and it worked just as the A1 I am currently tinkering with works. I just tried Armbian Buster, as you suggested, but it appears that without the desktop environment and only armbian-config to work in, I am unable to connect to my WiFi network for some reason I cannot figure out. I don't have the know-how to boot into desktop from there, if that's a possibility on mainline Buster at all.
Cornelius,
Thanks for your input. I am unfamiliar with what Alsa and ASoC are. Building my own img seems sounds like an undertaking a new-comer such as myself is unable to complete. Blacklisting, however, might be within my reach with some help. What more can you tell me about the ASoC module and blacklisting it, (open to anyone)?
If the only solutions to this issue are beyond my grasp, would my best bet lie in switching from a Renegade to a Tritium? Could a new board solve the problem, or is the issue assuredly with the SD? I only need an SBC for use as a desktop that can run basic applications, not much else.