How big is too big for a starter before decanting

I am getting ready to brew a 5 gallon batch here in a couple of days and i'm trying to figure how to handle the starter. According to the pitching calculator from Mr.Malty I need nearly a 3 liter starter. I've never done one this big so I was wondering at what point you need to start decanting the wort off the starter, 3 liters seems like it would start to effect the flavor. Any help or advice will be much appreciated. Happy Holidays.

I take it you're making a doppelbock or similar?

I always decant the wort off the top, swirl it up, and pitch. Doesn't matter how big the starter is or what type of beer I'm making.

Yeah, I always try to make my starter several days in advance so the fermentation can finish and I can put it in the fridge to settle. Then decant as best as possible. It sucks not being able to sparge as much just because you know you'll be adding X liters of starter to your wort at the end of the boil.

Oh right and don't forget to let your starter come up to pitching temp if you have been keeping it in the fridge.

I recently made a 3.8 liter starter for a Pilsner. Lager yeast drops pretty quick on it's own so I didn't try to crash it, just kept it around 60 degrees. On brew day it was still bubbling a little but decanted and pitched the slurry. It took about 12 hours to get going but I also had the carboy in a fridge for a couple hours before pitching to drop the temp closer to 57 degrees.

There was a BN show where Chris White stated "Anything 2000ml or under no need to decant" I always decant unless I am in a hurry I plan one extra day for my yeast to settle out.

I always decanted since I started using a stir plate. That wort is oxidized and tastes horrible.