Description:

xmmsao is (at this point) an xmms output plugin that uses the ao audio
output library. The great benefit of this is that, whether your sound
system is OSS, ALSA, ESD, or aRts, the sound will work. You can
(pressing stop in-between) switch among those, and the plugin will adapt.
It is ideal for users who switch regularly between desktop environments
or for admins who are tired of fielding "why doesn't xmms-esd work in KDE?"
questions.

xmmsao should support most effect plugins. As this plugin outputs to a
generic library, an output plugin which operates closer to the actual output
system may be preferable in some cases.