- batteries are heavier then a wire
- batteries eventually die
- batteries need charging a wire doesnt
- batteries cost more then a wire
- batteries increase size more then a wire
Batteries make it possible to enjoy music in places away from a comfortable chair in a quiet room - for those who work outside the home, have kids, travel occasionally, go outdoors when the weather is nice… that’s most of our lives. Rapid-charging the XM4 once a week or so is worth the tradeoff for me. And you’ve clearly never picked up these headphones if you think they’re heavy.
- bt has pairing issues wire works automatically
- bt can get interference
I move my xm4 back and forth between an Apple setup with multipoint (Mac and iPhone) and a Sony Android-based DAP using LDAC at the highest quality setting frequently. It takes a couple of seconds to switch and works every time with a single tap on each device.
Can get interference - rarely does. On flights with the XM4s I’ve twice had to use the app setting to prioritize a stable connection (lowers the LDAC bit rate) because of skips, which worked perfectly. Have not encountered this to date otherwise.
- bt and anc adds extra cost
- bt and anc adds extra stuff to break down
I paid $278 for the XM4 and in the end it will work out to pennies per hour I’ve used them. On that basis, far cheaper than the wired stuff I use (which I generally love.)
In 6 months, no problems to date with these. I’ve had many different BT and/or ANC sets over the years - got my first ANC earbuds in 2003(!) and came to Bluetooth in 2016. I usually get a new set a year and give away the old ones. The only problem I’ve had to date was with Apple AirPods Pro (the well documented rattling issue) which Apple replaced immediately at no cost to me.
Those 2003 Sonys still work! The ANC will kick in with a fresh AAA battery installed. Not quite as good as a current Sony or Bose set though.
In that time I’ve had multiple headphone/earbud wires wear and go bad out of warranty, which ends with me tossing or stashing the set and buying a new pair.
- bt and anc produces worse sound then a wire
- more possible breakdowns and warranty issues and repairs will take longer
- cant hear outside sound as good with anc on. which is bad but also good. so 50/50 trade
BT and ANC improve the listening experience in most real-life situations. Whatever degradation in sound the compression produces is less than what most humans can perceive in perfect listening conditions, and the whole point of these headphones is for the 99% of life without those perfect conditions.
And the transparency mode on these XM4s works. The touch control to activate it was not super reliable so I mapped the function button to it. So outside sound is there when I need it, and not when I don’t.
basically for the benefit of removing the wire and getting some anc you trade off 10 other good things
wired headphones cost half as much, have less hassles, look better, feel better, sound better, and last longer
Counterpoint: the benefit of removing the wire and using ANC is often enormous, and the tradeoffs are nit picks at best in 2021.
but yeah, the main downside is that such a setup isn't portable. But it's by far my preferred way to enjoy music. Headphones are always a compromise for me. When people say some headphones have a narrow soundstage, others a wide soundstage, I just shrug. They all sound like they don't have any soundstage to me 
