mplayer not controlling volume

mplayer, when it controls the volume, changes the settings of the pulse virtual device, which doesn't change the volume.  When I point amixer or alsamixer to the actual hardware they control the volume.  ao=alsa:device=hw=0.0 doesn't help.

For years there was no pulse virtual device.  I don't know when one came into existence.  If I get rid of pulse neither mplayer nor also work.