Understanding the EMMA Sound Quality Scorecard

Competitors ask me constantly what's actually on the sheet when a Sound Quality judge is sitting in their car. Here's the real breakdown, category by category, so you know exactly what's being scored and how the points are weighted — taken straight from this year's official scoresheet and EMMA Head Judge Training material.

How the sheet is laid out

Before anything else, the sheet records your name, vehicle, licence plate, competition and class — S-Category or M-Category, from OEM through to Unlimited — so make sure your paperwork matches what's on the car. The Sound Quality section itself is headed "Sound quality (max. 310p)" on the official sheet, and breaks down into the categories below.

Tonal Accuracy — up to 120 points

Judged across tracks 8–11, split into four frequency bands, each scored 0–30 points:

• Sub-bass
• Mid-bass
• Midrange
• High-frequency

Each band is scored independently with its own comment line, so a weak midrange doesn't automatically drag down a strong bass score — but a judge will call out exactly which band cost you points.

Imaging — up to 50 points

Judged across tracks 2–11, covering both position and focus of each element in the mix. This is where soundstage placement — where instruments and vocals sit, and how tightly focused they are — gets scored. See our page on soundstage and imaging in EMMA Sound Quality judging for how to prepare for this category specifically.

Overall Spectral Balance — up to 60 points

Scored on track 10 at normal volume (0–30) and again at a higher volume (0–30, "+6dB by hand"). A few things worth knowing about how this one actually works:

• It is not a simple average of your four Tonal Accuracy band scores — it's the judge's combined listening experience across all of them.
• Overall Spectral Balance can never score higher than your highest Tonal Accuracy band, but it can score lower than your lowest one.
• At the higher volume pass, judges add 1–3 points if the balance holds up better, or deduct 1–3 if it falls apart under level — which is exactly why a system that only sounds good at low volume gets caught out here.

Listening Pleasure — up to 27 points

This is the most holistic category on the sheet: nine separate elements, each scored 0–3 points, considering all the musical tracks together:

• Naturalness
• Harmony & Musicality
• Atmosphere & Emotions
• Clarity
• Effortless Sound
• Dynamics & Energy
• Distinction & Separation
• Body of Voice & Instruments
• Transparency

The scoring guide judges work from is blunt: 0 points for none of that quality at all, 1 for a little, 2 for fair, 3 for perfect. In training, judges are told this score tracks reasonably close to your Overall Spectral Balance score at the higher end — a system scoring well on OSB should show it here too, and one that doesn't is a sign the judge needs to dig into why.

Noise — the Zero Bit Track check

Every system is listened to on the dedicated "Zero Bit Track" for any noise the car or audio system is adding that isn't on the original recording — rush, hum, hiss, cracks, floor noise, rattling panels, loud fans, or switching noise when you change volume or power the system on and off. Relays and motorised covers are specifically excluded. If noise shows up in the regular listening tracks even though the Zero Bit Track was clean, judges can still deduct for it.

Ergonomics — 0 to -6 points

This is scored as a deduction, not a bonus, and covers how usable the system actually is while driving:

• Visibility (0 to -3): track, volume and relevant information need to be visible in the same area from the driver's seat.
• Control (0 to -3): full marks for a properly mounted remote operable from the steering wheel; a loose handheld remote is explicitly not accepted, and a source unit that's out of reach scores zero.

Want the install side of the sheet instead? See our companion page on the EMMA Install Quality scorecard, or go back to how Install Quality is scored versus Sound Quality.

Read the descriptions on the sheet, every time — that's the single piece of advice judges hear most often in training, and it applies just as much to competitors. Know what each category is actually measuring, and you'll stop losing points to categories you didn't realise existed.

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