Comment 198 for bug 275998

I think I may also have found a different approach from a Kernel Update, which I could never get working as well as Rocko. Indeed I buggered up my system and had to re-install (probably cause i am a technical Neanderthal):

I added the http://philip.magicalforest.se repository, updated the repos, installed the default ubuntu-desktop package (to get a minimal pulseaudio) and updated the system.
Everything now works. Skype for some reason (probably a blacklist somewhere) avoids using pulse all together so you need to set this to default.
 I only did this last night so I am unsure how stable things are but I can always go back to a pulse only installation.

I am however still unsure on what use pulseaudio is. I read through their wiki and I am still none the wiser.... It seems like its just a wrapper for the various sound standards, but I am more than likely wrong. Maybe canonical could make it an recommend rather than a requirement for ubuntu.