A method in a transmitter station includes: generating payload data for transmission to a receiver station via a plurality of antennae of the transmitter station; selecting a number of transmit streams for transmission of the payload data; selecting respective modulation schemes for each of the transmit streams; according to the modulation schemes and to an active one of (i) a single-encoder mode and (ii) a per-stream encoder mode, generating the number of coded, modulated transmit streams; wherein each coded, modulated transmit stream contains a portion of the payload data; and providing the coded, modulated transmit streams to respective ones of the antennae for transmission to the receiver station.