1. An ultrasound imaging system including: a transmitter configured to deliver one or more ultrasound pulses to a patient; a receiver configured to receive and process one or more ultrasound echoes from the patient; a systems control that is configured to cause the transmitter to deliver the one or more ultrasound pulses to the patient and the receiver to receive and process echoes from the patient according to one or more imaging parameters; wherein the imaging system further includes: an imaging performance evaluator that is configured to determine one or more imaging performance evaluation parameters from the one or more original or processed echoes; a negative feedback controller that is configured to compare the one or more performance evaluation parameters with corresponding performance evaluation parameter thresholds and to modify one or more of the imaging parameters to cause one or more performance evaluation parameters determined from subsequent echoes to approach the performance evaluation parameter thresholds; a memory unit that is configured to store the performance evaluation parameter thresholds; and a feedback architecture configuration & control unit that is programmed to configure the imaging performance evaluator, and the negative feedback controller, for different imaging applications.