A method of searching a signed codebook to quantize a vector includes weighting a shape codevector in a set of shape codevectors with a weighting function for a Weighted Mean Square Error (WMSE) criteria, to produce a weighted shape codevector. The method further includes correlating the weighted shape codevector with the vector to produce a weighted correlation term. The method also includes determining, based on a sign of the weighted correlation term, a preferred one of a positive and a negative signed codevector associated with the shape codevector. The method further includes determining whether one of the signed codevectors does not belong to an illegal space defining illegal vectors.