Comment 3 for bug 91494

@Matteo: No it does not.

# esdplay /usr/share/games/wesnoth/sounds/water-blast.wav
main.c: WARNING: called SUID root, but not in group 'pulse-rt'.
esdplay: pcm_params.c:2351: sndrv_pcm_hw_params: Assertion `err >= 0' failed.
Aborted (core dumped)

# mplayer -ao esd 02.Bring_Me_To_Life.mp3
MPlayer 2:1.0~rc1-0ubuntu8 (C) 2000-2006 MPlayer Team
CPU: AMD Athlon(tm) XP 2000+ (Family: 6, Model: 6, Stepping: 2)
CPUflags: MMX: 1 MMX2: 1 3DNow: 1 3DNow2: 1 SSE: 1 SSE2: 0
[..]
==========================================================================
Forced audio codec: mad
Opening audio decoder: [libmad] libmad mpeg audio decoder
AUDIO: 44100 Hz, 2 ch, s16le, 128.0 kbit/9.07% (ratio: 16000->176400)
Selected audio codec: [mad] afm: libmad (libMAD MPEG layer 1-2-3)
==========================================================================
main.c: WARNING: called SUID root, but not in group 'pulse-rt'.
[AO ESD] esd_open_sound failed: No child processes
Could not open/initialize audio device -> no sound.
Audio: no sound

I don't hear sound with:
# esdplay /usr/share/licq/sounds/Monty-Python.wav
main.c: WARNING: called SUID root, but not in group 'pulse-rt'.

but do hear it with:
# paplay /usr/share/licq/sounds/Monty-Python.wav