HI Schumi_l,
Welcome to Apple Support Communities. We understand that you're having an issue with your AirPods Max when connected to your Mac. We'd like to help.
From what you've described, you should be able to use the Digital Crown to connect with Siri, adjust the volume, as well as, play/pause/skip media you're listening to. Just to confirm, when you are using the Digital Crown and Siri responds, are you pressing and holding the Crown? We ask because holding it will enable Siri but pressing it once quickly should play and pause your media.
These steps may be helpful:
Control audio
To control audio, use the Digital Crown:
* To play and pause your audio content, press the Digital Crown once. To resume playback, press it again.
* To skip forward, press the Digital Crown twice.
* To skip back, press the Digital Crown three times.
If you feel that you're doing that already and it's still not working, try to reset your AirPods Max:
To restart or reset your AirPods Max:
* First, charge them for a few minutes.
* If you're experiencing issues with your AirPods Max, you can restart them. Press and hold the noise control button and the Digital Crown until the LED flashes amber.
* You can also reset AirPods Max to factory settings. Press and hold the noise control button and the Digital Crown for 15 seconds, until the LED flashes amber, then white.
* After you reset your AirPods Max, you can connect them to your iOS or iPadOS device, or connect them to your Mac or other device.
Hope that helps.
Cheers!
