There's a scoring category a lot of first-time EMMA competitors don't see coming, because it has nothing to do with how your system sounds. It's called System Handling, and it's judged on something most people assume they'll be doing themselves: actually operating the car's audio system.
The judge sits in your seat — not you
During Sound Quality judging, the judge gets in the driver's seat and runs your system themselves: pausing and muting, adjusting volume, skipping tracks, fast-forwarding and rewinding, and reading whatever's on the display. You don't get to drive your own head unit for the judge. The rule is blunt about why:
"The audio system must demonstrate a good balance of comfort and safety during operation of the car."In other words, EMMA is scoring whether a stranger who has never sat in your car can find and use every basic control without you talking them through it. If a judge gets confused finding mute or can't figure out how to skip a track, that's a real points loss — and it has nothing to do with your tune.
Covers and hidden controls
Any trim, cover or panel you've added purely to hide wiring or components has to come off, or come off easily, so the judge can access and see what they're operating. A control that's technically there but buried under a show panel doesn't score as present.
Steering wheel remote
If you're running a steering-wheel remote, it needs to work with the wheel straight (judges aren't going to crank it over to find the sweet spot), and at minimum it needs to handle volume, track selection, and pause/mute. If the button layout isn't obvious, label it or leave a short written cheat sheet — that's a completely legitimate way to cover yourself.
Phone and touchscreen control
Running your source off a phone or tablet is fine, but the screen can't lock mid-judging. At national-level events, if it locks and the judge has to wait while you unlock it, that time comes out of your 5-minute repair allowance — see our 5-minute repair rule breakdown for how that clock works. At Euro Finals or other events where it's flagged at the competitor briefing, a locked screen can cost you 3 points directly under Listening Pleasure. Disable auto-lock before you roll into judging — it's a free save.
Volume is still your call
Despite the judge running the controls, you still set the starting volume — see our volume check explainer for how that's checked. Judges can only request a volume change during qualification rounds, not at national or international finals, so get your reference level dialled in well before competition day.
Why this matters more than people think
I've watched decent-sounding cars drop points here simply because the remote wasn't labelled or the phone screen timed out mid-run. It's not a sound quality problem, it's a presentation problem, and it's entirely avoidable. Walk through your own controls as if you've never sat in the car before judging day, the same way you'd check Install Quality or your Sound Quality scorecard categories the week before. If you want a second pair of eyes on your control layout before you compete, start with our DIY install guide or get in touch via our contact page.
Written by Pete — Integrated Audio
Pete is the founder of Integrated Audio and a Certified International EMMA Head Judge, judging EMMA Sound Quality and Installation competitions in Australia and internationally. He writes from the judging side of the table, drawing on hands-on experience building and installing HELIX, MATCH and BRAX car audio systems.