You can, of course, listen to 1-bit files played directly from the MR-1. I wouldn't underestimate this. I hook mine up to my stereo, and the results are incredible.

It helps to think of 1-bit DSD for audio as analogous to camera RAW for digital photography. As with camera RAW photography, the software may evolve to a place where we are reaping the benefits of the format. Look how camera RAW was first just translated into JPEGs using proprietary conversion software from Nikon et al. Then Photoshop gained the ability to directly import camera RAW, but it was tedious. Finally software optimized for the camera RAW workflow such as Adobe Lightroom, Apple Aperture and Adobe Bridge have emerged to really make the formats worth the added cost in storage and inconvenience. But similar development in audio processing software will take time. We are still at the first phase.

The other thing is that some DSD delivery formats are being rolled out. Whether any of these will gain any traction and stick around is anyone's guess. Unfortunately the most promising SACD is pretty much dead as a format. And even if it weren't, I don't know of any way to burn your own SACDs. There are a few Sony VAIO computers that have direct 1-bit-DSD-compatible DACs and software. (I think they call this feature "Reality Engine".) I think Blu-ray includes some ability to handle DSD audio. And the HDMI specification now includes the ability to transmit DSD audio streams, and some audio hardware is already available that can decode these streams.

One advantage of 1-bit files that Mark Nelson doesn't go into is that 1-bit files are resolution independent. So, for example, I can convert the same 1-bit recording into either a 44.1 kHz PCM WAV file for CD mastering, or 48 kHz PCM for use as an audio track for DV digital video, or into 96 kHz/24 for studio mixing. If I had recorded as a 48 kHz WAV and resampled to 44.1 kHz I would have gotten aliasing artifacts the severity of which only being mitigated by the quality of the resampling software.

But the bottom line is that the MR-1 is very easy to use (so it's less likely you will mess up a recording because you didn't set something right) and the recordings just sound great. But I've drunk the Kool-aide. I've been using mine for about 4 or 5 months, and I'm still happily amazed with the results I've been consistently getting.