I have always heard, and agreed that it is best not to decode the M/S while recording to be able to do it properly in post. This extra step can be a bit time consuming just to be able to monitor for the good takes. I often don't even edit my files but give them away as is, which means I don't want to add an extra layer of complications to their process (unless they want).

A while back I found this awesome M/S plugin by Voxengo called MSED, which has an inline decoder so that I can balance my mid and side even if it has already been decoded. I haven't noticed any decrease in quality. Have you?

Is this a 100% as good as decoding it from scratch in post?

Thanks!