An RF receiver apparatus for translating multiple channels of MR data across a single readout cable is disclosed. The RF receiver apparatus is designed to separately translate In-phase and Quadrature components of an MR signal to a data acquisition system for signal processing. Moreover, multiple channels of In-phase and Quadrature signals may be transmitted as composite signals to the data acquisition system across a single coaxial cable. The composite signals may then be filtered to recover the multiple channels of data. The RF receiver apparatus is particularly applicable with a phased-array coil architecture.