As for the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon, look for "HiViNyws" on Youtube for a great and thorough comparison between the Project and Rega, ultimately concluding that the Rega sounds better than the Pro-Ject.

Now I could have put the NAD phono preamp on the audio technica to get a better comparison but another problem arose

Things started out fine, but as soon as the music came up in volume, a very loud 60 Hz hum took over.