Masking reduces how prominently audible combination-tone beating is

Evidence

These combination tones would beat with the f0 component of any other instruments playing a note close to a combination tone. This will not be as marked as it might appear at first due to an effect known as “masking,” which is described in the next section. — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1590

Categorization

• QUESTION: Worth chasing: does this imply combination tones in ensembles are generally inaudible, contradicting perception that they can be heard clearly in isolated pairs?