xyzzy01

 That's stretching it a bit. The Airpods Max impressed because they were as good as the Sony WH-1000XM4 when they were launched. In 2022 Sony released the WH-1000XM5 (They really need simpler names), and the active noise cancelation there is better than the Airpods Max. If WH-1000XM6 is even better, that will just increase the distance to Apple in the rearview mirror for this specific area. 

I've had both - I used Airpods Max until last year. There were so many issues (hangs, not found by phone/computer, getting in states where it reversed head detection etc), and I was waiting for a new version of the Airpods Max. When Apple didn't bother to update, I switched to the XM5 - and I've been happy so far. Just wish they'd support three Bluetooth units at the same time...