Most people who ask me about EMMA assume it's a straight choice between two disciplines — chase accuracy in Sound Quality, or chase decibels in SPL. There's a third EMMA class that rarely gets mentioned outside Europe, and it catches a lot of competitors off guard the first time they hear about it: EMMA Tuning.
What EMMA Tuning actually judges
EMMA Tuning doesn't let you specialise. Instead of scoring one discipline, it rolls installation quality, vehicle modifications (interior, trunk, exterior bodywork and technical work like suspension or engine bay presentation) and audio performance — both Sound Quality and SPL — into a single combined score. A car that's only brilliant on acoustics, or only loud, won't win a Tuning class. You need the whole package: a clean, safe install, genuine vehicle modification work, and audio that holds up on both the SQ and SPL side.
That's a fundamentally different brief to standalone SQ or SPL judging, where I'm only listening for staging, tonal accuracy and install craftsmanship, or only reading a meter. In Tuning, the car itself — the build as a whole — is on trial.
The three Tuning classes
Like most EMMA categories, Tuning is split by how much freedom you're given to modify the vehicle:
- Stock+ — the most restrained tier. OEM-style bodywork and interior changes are allowed, but you're not rebuilding the car.
- Custom Trunk — more latitude: woofers can live in a built trunk enclosure, alongside interior, body and paint modification.
- Custom Unlimited — woofer placement and modification scope are wide open, with full creative freedom over the build.
Each step up asks for more ambition in the build and, in turn, judges expect a higher standard of execution to match.
How scoring works
Judges work across several matrices — installation and electrical safety, interior, trunk compartment, technical/mechanical work, exterior, plus the SQ and SPL components — and those are added into one total. Design and build quality typically act as the tiebreaker when totals are close, which tells you something important: EMMA Tuning rewards a cohesive, well-executed project over a single standout element. You can't out-tune a mediocre install, and you can't out-install mediocre audio.
From the judging side, Tuning cars take longer to assess properly than a pure SQ entry — there's simply more to look at. If you're entering one, expect your judge to spend real time under the bonnet, in the trunk and around the cabin, not just in the driver's seat.
Should you enter Tuning instead of SQ or SPL?
If your build is primarily about sound — chasing a tight soundstage or a flat response — you're better served sticking with a dedicated Sound Quality class. If your car is a genuine project build with real interior, trunk and exterior work alongside the audio, Tuning is where that effort actually gets recognised; a judge scoring you purely on SQ has no mechanism to credit a trimmed trunk or a repainted engine bay. It's also worth reading up on the OEM vs Unlimited install categories first, since the same logic — more freedom, higher expectations — carries across into how Tuning's own tiers are judged.
One honest caveat: I haven't seen EMMA Tuning run as a standalone class at an Australian event yet, so if it's the category you want to compete in, ask before you build for it — get in touch and I'll tell you what's realistically on the local calendar versus what you'd need to travel for.
If you're still deciding what kind of build to put together in the first place, it's worth starting with the basics of a car audio upgrade before you commit to a full Tuning-spec project.
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.