HD 381 have a big bassy sound, but the mid and high are still in pretty good balance. I have some other bassy IEMs, that cost more, they usually tend to have very recessed high, with poor clarity. But HD381 high is not much recessed, the clarity is still quite reasonable. These IEMs are quite comfortable to wear, to my ears at least. Also, HD381 sensitivity is lower than average IEMs, so I usually have to set device volume about 10% - 15% higher than with other.