I would still use Xnormal to bake a difffuse and AO map from a raw hi poly. The good thing about Xnormal is that you can easily use the same projection cage from Max. so essentially, you'd have 2 or three different versions of your hi poly. 1. Decimated just enough to keep valuable normal detail while still able to run in…
ah, i get what you're saying now. xNormal isn't perfect (yet :P) but you're not trying to burn a diffuse map, maybe you should try decimating your hi poly's in Zbrush then bringing it into max to bake. another thing, although I'm not sure if it'll help: try importing your low poly as an FBX. I remember hearing somewhere…