My bose car stereo system no longer has sound. When the radio was first turned on, it would take approximately 5 minutes until there was sound coming from the speakers. This got progressively worse until it would talk 30 minutes before sound would come. Now, no sound from the speakers, only a small ticking sound. Is this an amplifier problem?

The basic big picture is that current, not voltage, is the quantification factor. That is why amps and speakers are rated in Amps. Impedance is the reactive quantity that determines how loud or how smoke happens when you have an amplifier/speaker combo. 
  There are protective circuits, like circuit breakers and fuses that trip when there is a short circuit or low impedance detected and breakers that are automatically reset will do so as long as the fault exists. Fuses just go up in smoke disabling a component to prevent even more smoke.
  Bose is an extremely proprietary company meaning that they don't give up much info about their electronic/acoustical design so troubleshooting is not as easy as they could make it. By removing the Bose system yourself and taking it to a repair shop, even a TV repairman, you can save bucks. I have assumed that you have no warranty -check that as Bose is a good company but you void any warranty by messing with it yourself -even checking to see if the use has blown.
 Google the tech forums to see if you can get your hands on a schematic. You always have a tuner, preamp and power amp. The preamp to power amp connection sometimes allow you to isolate the components so that you can put in another power amp to test. Usually you would use an oscilloscope to see the waveforms at each stage. Voltage checks won't be helpful. Also see if Bose will at least tell you if there are fuses or troubleshooting steps that the user can access. Good luck, Steve Medley The basic big picture is that current, not voltage, is the quantification factor. That is why amps and speakers are rated in Amps. Impedance is the reactive quantity that determines how loud or how smoke happens when you have an amplifier/speaker combo.    There are protective circuits, like circuit breakers and fuses that trip when there is a short circuit or low impedance detected and breakers that are automatically reset will do so as long as the fault exists. Fuses just go up in smoke disabling a component to prevent even more smoke.   Bose is an extremely proprietary company meaning that they don't give up much info about their electronic/acoustical design so troubleshooting is not as easy as they could make it. By removing the Bose system yourself and taking it to a repair shop, even a TV repairman, you can save bucks. I have assumed that you have no warranty -check that as Bose is a good company but you void any warranty by messing with it yourself -even checking to see if the use has blown.  Google the tech forums to see if you can get your hands on a schematic. You always have a tuner, preamp and power amp. The preamp to power amp connection sometimes allow you to isolate the components so that you can put in another power amp to test. Usually you would use an oscilloscope to see the waveforms at each stage. Voltage checks won't be helpful. Also see if Bose will at least tell you if there are fuses or troubleshooting steps that the user can access. Good luck, Steve Medley

Thanks for the Helpful rating! Many do not realize that the lower rating of Thanks For Trying actually lowers a tech's rating even if we, based on experience, tell a client that the fundamental problem indicates replacement rather than repair which to me is a solution that gets the person on a positive path rather than wasting time getting smoke back into a wire:) your Bose system is worth repairing but does not require Bose non-warranty repair services if they ask for money beyond the cost of the system. best wishes, Steve Medley Thanks for the Helpful rating! Many do not realize that the lower rating of Thanks For Trying actually lowers a tech's rating even if we, based on experience, tell a client that the fundamental problem indicates replacement rather than repair which to me is a solution that gets the person on a positive path rather than wasting time getting smoke back into a wire:) your Bose system is worth repairing but does not require Bose non-warranty repair services if they ask for money beyond the cost of the system. best wishes, Steve Medley