stedy, I am a little too noob myself and looking for an easier guide on ALSA too In the course of trying to solve my user has no sound/root does I did come across a lot on the forums about ALSA muting user by design to start off and the need to turn up master and PCM with alsa's mixer (which should come up if you go to console and type in alsamixergui). One has to take care with one of the channels labeled IEC98 (it's an input). The sound it can make if you inadvertently slide it up is unbelievable - I guess it's feedback. So I worried about you with your speakers cranked on full and messing about in that mixer. On some post I read in I think it was a developer's forum someone did remark that that was the reason user is muted to start off. Perhaps someone experienced with sound like Cuddles could give further info about it.

Anyway, I have my alsa and volumes making nice now and hoping they stay that way. In my case my card itself was too common for it to be a driver problem.