EMMA, which launched a US arm in already late 2018 is now gaining traction in the US as a community of enthusiasts, with the aim of educating new competitors in sound quality and giving seasoned competitors a new format for judging.
EMMA USA started as part of SQOLOGY, which folded last fall. It is now an independent US organization.
Klifton Keplinger, former head of SQOLOGY, who helped bring EMMA to the US said the organization has a different slant to competition, as EMMA Global (European Mobile Media Association) is based in Germany, so it grew out of a diverse environment of judging styles.
“It’s a different way of looking at things; it gives another avenue for competitors to get feedback and learn about how their system sounds. It uses different score sheets with a different methodology and approach,” said Keplinger, who has since stepped away to focus on his work at Hybrid Audio Technologies, now part of Soundz, Inc.
EMMA USA’s first event this year will be the second annual Lonestar SQ Shootout in Frisco, TX, in cooperation with Italia Hi-Fi, April 29-May 1. The second event will be the Aggieland SQ Invitational, held in College Station, TX, in cooperation with Mobile Toys, June 4-5. The third event will be the annual Steel Valley, in New Cumberland, WV, on July 22-24. More events will follow.
EMMA judges will include Tom Meyers, who continues as EMMA USA Director of Operations, in addition to Jeff Smith, Ben Zimmerman, Tim Goudy, Mic Wallace, and others.
As more information becomes available for these events, they will be posted on the EMMA USA Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/emmanetusa or on the EMMA USA website at https://emmausa.org