But now, the ANC sounds like what I’d describe as a librarian’s transparency mode: it lets me hear my surroundings clearly but reduces the volume for everything.Resetting the AirPods Max by holding both buttons and repairing did not bring back what I freshly remembered as the best ANC peace and quiet during work that I’ve had.Not all AirPods Max owners are convinced there have been changes, though, with some pinning it on false perceptions drawn from just knowing there was an update — the placebo effect.Not so fast, because when trying to purchase Apple Care, I found out my brand-new AirPods Max were older stock and had first shipped to the retailer (Verizon) in April based on warranty information.For the last update, the only information Apple shared was “Bug fixes and other improvements.” I reached out to the company about what changes came in the latest firmware and if ANC really was affected but haven’t heard back."