Other than it may look more aesthetically pleasing, I heard the Mapleshade planks under my floorstanders as a ZERO improvement.
Perhaps if one's room had a questionable floor, it may help provide a solid foundation. When my room was redone with a new wood floor, I ditched the planks. Just for test purposes, I compared the two setups, and heard no audible improvement with them. YMMV.
Speaker location, and room acoustic treatment is what your speakers need to sing. The 1028's need to be out in the room at least 4 feet from the front and 3 from the side.
The Gaia's footers are supposedly a legit tweak.