1. A greater likelihood decoder, comprising: a suboptimal decoder configured to analyze a received symbol vector to generate substream indicators and a decoded symbol vector estimate; weakest substreams decision logic, coupled to said suboptimal decoder, configured to receive said substream indicators and select weakest ones thereof; and subspace search logic, coupled to said suboptimal decoder and said weakest substreams decision logic, configured to further select a reduced substreams maximum likelihood (RSML) decoded symbol vector from a subspace of decoded symbol vector candidates derived from said decoded symbol vector estimate and said weakest ones.